A 49-year-old Burlington Township man was arrested October 15 after he was allegedly found with a weapon and drugs on the Rutgers Preparatory School campus on Easton Avenue.

Franklin Township Police were called at about 6:09 a.m. on a complaint about a car with two flat tires being driven on the Rutgers Prep campus, according to a press release from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office.

Responding officers said they saw a man leaving a stand of bushes with his hands in his pockets. A search revealed that he was carrying a high-capacity ammunition magazine.

Police searching the area where the man was seen found a gun containing hollow point bullets on the ground in-between bushes, according to the release.  Detectives from the Franklin Township Police Department and the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit and Crime Scene Investigation Unit responded to assist in the investigation. 

The school campus was closed to students, faculty, and staff while authorities conducted the investigation, which included a thorough search of the school grounds, according to the release. 

Police obtained a search warrant for the man’s car, where, the release said, more than a half-ounce of cocaine and more ammunition was found.    

The man was charged with 2^nd Degree Possession of a Handgun, 3^rd Degree Possession of a Firearm on School Grounds, 4^th Degree Possession of a Large Capacity Ammunition Magazine, 2^nd Degree Possession of CDS (over ½ ounce) with the intent to Distribute, and 4^th Degree Possession of hollow point bullets.

The man was transported to the Somerset County Jail, where he was still lodged on October 16, pending a detention hearing.

The man had no connection to the school, faculty, or students, according to the release. Authorities are still investigating the motive as well as defendant’s whereabouts prior to arriving on the school campus, according to the release.

Anyone with information relating to this incident is asked to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit at (908) 231-7100 or the Franklin Township Police Department at (732) 873-5533 or via the STOPit app. The STOPit app allows citizens to provide anonymous reports including videos and photos. STOPit can be downloaded to your smart phone for free at the Google Play Store or Apple App Store, access code: SOMERSETNJ. Information can also be provided through the Somerset County Crime Stoppers’ Tip Line at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477). All anonymous STOPit reports, and Crime Stopper tips will be kept confidential.