SOUTH BRUNSWICK — Rubert Harrison, 36, of Maplewood was arrested and charged with unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a defaced firearm in the Wendy’s parking lot on Route 1 Aug. 23.
Shortly after 11 p.m., police were called in to investigate a report of a suspicious vehicle. Police said that employees of the restaurant reported the vehicle had been parked in the lot with its lights on for a while.
Officers said they found Harrison asleep in his vehicle. Patrolman Frank Lombardo reportedly observed syringes in the vehicle and asked Harrison to exit the vehicle. As Harrison exited the vehicle, Lombardo reported he noticed the butt of a handgun protruding from Harrison’s pocket.
"He indicated that the gun was for his safety," police spokesperson Jim Ryan said Tuesday. "He had a prescription for the syringes."
Harrison was placed under arrest and Lombardo recovered a loaded .45-caliber Glock with seven hollowpoint bullets. The serial number of the gun had been removed, according to police.
Ryan said that Harrison told him he had visited a medical clinic in the Princeton area and was returning home when he stopped at Wendy’s.
"He was hungry and pulled in to get some food," Ryan said.
According to Ryan, Harrison did not have any permits for the weapon.
Harrison was lodged in the Middlesex County Adult Correction Center, North Brunswick, on $25,000 bail.