A New Jersey man who got into a car crash last month has been arrested after authorities determined he was stockpiling assault weapons, marijuana vape cartridges, and neo-Nazi paraphernalia.
Joseph Rubino, 57, was initially stopped by State Troopers on July 24th after driving his Chevy van into a tree in Allamuchy, New Jersey. As officers attempted to extract him from the vehicle, they spotted a cache of firearms and ammunition inside his vehicle, according to the criminal complaint. Among the items were multiple loaded pistols, two sawed-off double-barrel shotguns, a set of brass knuckles and a wooden club.
Police subsequently executed a search warrant on Rubino's Lafayette Township home, where they say they found nearly a dozen assault rifles, ballistic vests and a grenade launcher. Several of the firearms were kept in a safe, along with 70 grams of meth, three kilograms of marijuana, and approximately 200 cannabis vape cartridges, police said.
The search also turned up a box of clothing and bumper stickers featuring "SS Bolts," a neo-Nazi symbol commonly used by "outlaw motorcycle gang members," according to the complaint. A racist document, entitled "N-gger Owner's Manuel," was recovered as well.
The arrest comes as the country continues to grapple with far-right extremism and white nationalist violence in the wake of the racist mass shooting in El Paso, Texas. In the last week, three men have been arrested for planning separate mass shootings, including a 20-year-old Ohio resident who threatened to shoot up a local Jewish community center.
The US Attorney's Office has charged Rubino with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of firearms by a convicted felon. He was previously found guilty for writing bad checks in 1999—making it illegal for him to own a firearm.
Rubino faces life in prison if convicted on the weapons charge related to drug trafficking. He is due to appear in Newark federal court at an unannounced date.
