Florida Man Arrested For Carrying 'Small Arsenal' Onto Amtrak Train

Some are probably good people, but when Florida sends its people, they're not sending their best. That's been true for a while, but in case you needed more evidence, New Jersey just indicted one Florida man after authorities arrested him earlier this year for allegedly boarding an Amtrak train armed with a "small arsenal." Jeffrey Kennerk of Fort Lauderdale now faces charges for "aggravated assault, endangering others, and multiple weapons offenses, including possession of assault weapons, large capacity ammunition magazines, handguns, silencers, and a booby-trapped rifle that fired during his arrest at the Trenton Transit Center." Yikes.

Authorities still haven't said what they believe Kennerk planned to do with his arsenal or who his targets may have been, but based on the circumstances of his arrest, it sounds like they likely prevented another mass shooting, possibly timed to coincide with the anniversary of January 6. And since the train he was arrested on was headed to Virginia, it's just as plausible he was planning some sort of assault in Washington, D.C. Odds are, we'll get more details during the trial, but based on what we know now, it definitely doesn't look good.

Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Division of Criminal Justice announced today that on January 3, NJ Transit Police noticed an unattended suitcase near the entrance of the Newark subway. After bringing in a K9 unit to ensure the bag didn't contain any explosives, they found a handgun case containing a Beretta 92-style Girsan Regard MC and a fully loaded 18-round magazine, as well as a separate magazine loaded with .223 rifle rounds, two boxes of 9mm handgun rounds, four boxes of additional .223 ammunition and an AK-47-style Zastava Arms rifle with multiple loaded magazines and one round in the chamber. 

That's not exactly the loadout you carry when you have a legitimate fear of 30-50 feral hogs, nor is it the kind of thing you accidentally leave behind. The rifle alone probably cost $1,000. Security footage caught a man, allegedly later identified as Kennerk, carrying two suitcases, then leaving one of them behind as he purchased a ticket at the counter and walking away. But while it sounds like the suitcase may have been left behind for someone else to pick up, the attorney general made no mention of an accomplice or a second arrest.

Police then stopped Kennerk at the train's next stop in Trenton and arrested him. A search of the bag he allegedly had with him found "an AR-15 style rifle that was separated into the lower and upper receiver, multiple caches of ammunitions, multiple extended magazines, and multiple handguns" and "10 'K' baffle cups (used in conjunction with silencers), four silencers, as well as hollow point ammunition in both 9mm and .22 long rifle calibers." 

They also found a separate rifle loaded with .300 AAC Blackout with "multiple handkerchiefs...wrapped around the trigger guard." An attempt the remove one of the handkerchiefs resulted in the gun firing, leading authorities to believe the rifle was "booby-trapped." Thankfully, the officer inspecting the rifle had the sense to point the muzzle at the ground while doing so, or someone could have easily been injured or killed. 

In a statement, Colonel Patrick J. Callahan, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police, said:

The indictment of this individual underscores the severe threat posed by those who amass illegal weapons with blatant disregard for public safety. The swift and coordinated efforts of law enforcement prevented a potentially catastrophic event. By seizing these illegal firearms—including assault rifles, large-capacity magazines, silencers, and a booby-trapped rifle that discharged—officers averted a tragedy. Our unwavering commitment remains: to protect our communities and ensure that individuals who jeopardize public safety are held accountable.

While it would still be great to know what the weapons were meant for, we're just thankful this whole thing ended with everyone still alive and in one piece.