Pawnshop owner's son possibly linked to Jersey City shootout appears in court
JERSEY CITY, New Jersey (WABC) -- A New Jersey man whose number was found in the back pocket of one of the perpetrators of last week's fatal shootings at a Jewish market appeared in court Monday to face a weapons charge unrelated to the attack.
Police say 35-year-old Ahmed Hady, of Keyport, was found in possession of 10 illegal guns and 400 rounds of ammunition.
A-Hady, the son of a pawnshop owner, was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and will be held overnight pending a bail hearing Tuesday. There were arguments on bail and no agreement in court Monday.
After the shootout, a note was found in David Anderson's pocket containing a telephone number and a Keyport address, according to authorities.
The number belonged to Hady, and the address was for a storefront for a pawn shop, officials said. Records indicated that A-Hady had bought two handguns in 2007 before being convicted of a felony in 2012 that made him ineligible to own firearms.
When authorities went to the pawnshop and interviewed Hady, he acknowledged still owning the weapons but denied that they were on the premises.
But after receiving a tip about a safe, investigators searched the business and Hady's home and found weapons including three AR-15-style assault rifles, three handguns and one shotgun as well as more than 400 rounds of ammunition including a large number of hollow point bullets.
FBI agents were at a second pawnshop Monday that is connected to Hady in South Amboy.
Meanwhile, the FBI has recovered the white van authorities believe the two suspects, Anderson, 47, and Francine Graham, 50, were living in after getting evicted from their apartment.
The van was recovered Saturday morning in Orange, New Jersey, and the FBI is examining it for any evidence.
Law enforcement officials say the white 2001 Ford van belonged to Anderson. It was found parked in a small lot at a Firestone on Central Avenue.
The FBI is also searching a number of locations Monday that have been linked to the shooters. Agents are also asking for public help.
"The FBI continues to conduct law enforcement operations and interviews to learn all we can about the tragedy that traumatized our community," Special Agent in Charge Gregory Ehrie said in a statement. "Anyone with knowledge of the two shooters, who had contact with them, employed them, worked for them, or has information about them, is strongly encouraged to assist us by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI and speaking with us, directly. The community needs to know that we continue to follow all leads in this investigation and will leave no stone unturned to find the facts connected with this case."
Anderson and Graham are believed to be members of the fringe group called the Black Hebrew Israelites. Authorities say they went on a shooting rampage last Tuesday, killing Jersey City Detective Joseph Seals in a cemetery before fatally shooting three people in a Jewish grocery store.
The victims inside the store were identified as 24-year-old Moshe Deutsch, 49-year-old Douglas Miguel Rodriguez, and 31-year-old Mindy Ferencz.
Detective Seals was a 13-year veteran of the Jersey City Police department and a father of five. He will be laid to rest on Tuesday.
Anderson and Graham are also prime suspects in the slaying of a livery driver found dead in a car trunk in nearby Bayonne the previous weekend, authorities have said.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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