Traffic stop yields submachine gun

Sayreville man is arrested after being pulled over by police in South Brunswick.

By: Rebecca Tokarz
   A Sayreville man was charged with possession of a submachine gun after police stopped his car Saturday morning on Route 1, police said.
   Quadrece Simmons, 24, of 540 Ernston Road also was charged with unlawful possession of a prohibited firearm, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, possession of hollow-point ammunition, and giving police false identification after police allegedly found a gun, ammunition and a change of clothes in the car’s trunk.
   Additional federal charges could be filed against Mr. Simmons, police said.
   He was stopped after police saw a 2003 Ford Taurus with Maryland license plates driven by Mr. Simmons weaving in and out of traffic, police said. South Brunswick police Officer John Avalone pulled over Mr. Simmons.
   Mr. Simmons said he was visiting a friend and was looking for a place in New Brunswick but had gotten lost, police said. He provided Officer Avalone with a false New Jersey driver’s license that had lettering typed over the lamination, police said.
   A routine computer check on the vehicle revealed the Taurus was registered to Budget rental car agency based in Maryland, police said.
   Police searched the vehicle and found a gym bag in the trunk that contained the loaded MAC-11 9 mm submachine gun, bullets and a change of clothes, according to police.
   The ammunition also included hollow-point — or "cop killer" — bullets. These bullets are known for their power to penetrate through bulletproof vests, causing more damage upon impact than a regular gun, according to police spokesman Detective James Ryan. The gun appeared to have been fired in the recent past, but no residue was found on the gun and it was not warm to the touch, police said.
   Mr. Simmons was arrested and charged as an adult in 1995 for armed robbery of a Sayreville business, police said. He also used a machine gun in that robbery, according to police.
   Mr. Simmons is being held at the Middlesex County Adult Correction Center in lieu of $50,000 bail.
   If convicted, Mr. Simmons could face up to 10 years in jail, according to police.