Columbia, NJ Man Sentenced in Connection with Ghost Gun Investigation

Published on September 18, 2024

Acting Morris County Prosecutor Maggie Calderwood, Chief of Detectives Robert McNally, and Denville Chief of Police Frank Perna, announce the sentencing of Joseph Palumbo Jr., 34, of Columbia, NJ, on charges related to the unlawful manufacturing and sales of firearms without serial numbers, more commonly known as ghost guns, in Morris and Warren Counties.

On May 20, 2024, Palumbo Jr. pled guilty two counts of second-degree Unlawful Possession of an Assault Firearm and two counts of third-degree Possession of a Firearm without a Serial Number. On September 13, 2024, the Honorable Judge Claudia Jones imposed an aggregate sentence of five years in New Jersey State Prison, with 42 months of parole ineligibility.

An investigation revealed Palumbo Jr. carried out the illegal manufacture and sales of ghost guns between December 2023 and February 2024 in Morris and Warren County. The sales involved one homemade handgun without a serial number, five homemade AR platformed assault firearms without serial numbers, and two large-capacity magazines. Palumbo Jr. was taken into custody and charged following a motor vehicle stop on February 8, 2024.

During the subsequent execution of search warrants for Palumbo Jr.’s Columbia, NJ residence and the defendant’s vehicle, two additional homemade AR platformed assault firearms without serial numbers, approximately 36 additional firearms, numerous firearms components used to manufacture firearms, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and approximately 3 firearm silencers were seized.

Acting Prosecutor Calderwood would like to thank the following agencies for their hard work during this investigation and successful prosecution; The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Special Enforcement Unit, consisting of the Roxbury Township Police Department, the Town of Boonton Police Department, and the Morris County Sheriff’s Office, along with the Denville Police Department, Warren County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotics Taskforce, the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor under the NJ Attorney General’s Office,  Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (BATF) and its taskforce officers, which include Immigration and Customs Enforcement specifically, the office of ERO under the supervision of Field Office Director John Tsoukaris, and the New Jersey State Police (NJSP).

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