NJ Man Jailed on Weapons Charge Scouted GWB: Prosecutors

A New Jersey man who was arrested and is facing weapon charges after he tried to gain access to restricted area of the George Washington Bridge last month was scouting city landmarks, prosecutors alleged on Monday.

North Jersey.com reported that prosecutors say 29-year-old Daniel Czerepak, a former Army veteran, may have been planning wider assault on the busy bridge as well as the Brooklyn Bridge and Lincoln Tunnel. Port Authority police arrested Czerepak last month when he tried to enter the upper level of the GWB and pretending to be an employee of construction company Skanska USA.

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Upon the search of Czerepak's home, authorities found high-capacity ammunition magazines as well as other magazines for rifles and a gun, NJ.com reported.

He was charged with multiple counts of third-degree weapons charges as well as receiving stolen property, according to Bergen County Jail records. Bergen County Superior Court Judge James X. Sattely ordered Czerepak be held without bond on Monday at his court appearance.

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Czerepak, who pleaded not guilty to charges on Monday, previously tried to access the GWB and failed but he wasn't arrested, NJ.com reported. Prosecutors said he was "gathering intel" on the bridge’s security and a search warrant on Czerepak’s home also uncovered books on construction and blueprints of bridges and buildings, according to the report.

Czerepak's attorney, Alan Liebowitz, said in court that the weapons were empty and they were from his client's time in the military.

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