Paterson drug dealer arrested again with loaded handgun on Union Avenue
By Jayed Rahman
Published: November 16, 2020
A convicted felon was arrested in possession of heroin and a loaded handgun in a high-crime part of Union Avenue earlier in the month.
Julio L. Rivera, 36, is charged with three weapons and three drug offenses.
On November 3, Rivera was arrested on Jasper Street and Union Avenue at about 11:36 p.m. Police saw him adjusting a handgun on his waistband while walking across the street.
Rivera entered a double-parked vehicle. Police approached him. He was patted down and placed under arrest.
Police recovered a loaded handgun that had a 12-round magazine inside. 11 rounds were in the magazine and 1 in the chamber, according to authorities. He also had three bundles or 30 glassines of heroin.
Rivera was arrested on weapons charges in the same general area three years earlier. He was convicted on the gun charges.
Passaic County Superior Court judge Imre Karaszegi on November 10 ordered Rivera’s detention at the Passaic County Jail pending resolution of the charges.
Karaszegi said the safety of the community would be “jeopardized” by Rivera’s release.
Rivera faces a maximum of 10 years in state prison.