WOODBRIDGE – A 16-year-old John F. Kennedy Memorial High School student was sentenced to a two-year term of probation after allegedly bringing a loaded handgun to school in March, according to Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and Director Robert Hubner of the Woodbridge Police Department.
The teen pled guilty to unlawful possession of a weapon before the Middlesex County Superior Court Judge Deborah Venezia on June 24, according to a press release through the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office on July 11.
The state argued for a two-year term of incarceration; however, the teen was sentenced instead to two years of probation by the court on June 30, according to the press release.
On March 28, Woodbridge police responded to John F. Kennedy (JFK) Memorial High School in Iselin after receiving a report that a student was in possession of a handgun. Upon arrival, officers were informed that the JFK High School staff received a tip stating that the teen was carrying a gun to school in his fanny pack. The teen was stopped and questioned by school staff upon his arrival that morning. During a search of the teen, a loaded 9mm handgun was found, according to the press release.
A subsequent investigation conducted by Detective Ryan Hoppock of the Woodbridge Police Department resulted in the teen being charged with acts of juvenile delinquency for offenses which if committed by an adult would constitute third-degree possession of a weapon in an educational institution, second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm and second-degree possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose, according to the press release.