A Toms River resident has pleaded guilty to unlawfully possessing a firearm following a July 2023 motor vehicle stop that led to the discovery of drugs and a loaded handgun, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced Tuesday.
Amir Reid, 32, entered a guilty plea on July 15 before Superior Court Judge Kimarie Rahill to the charge of being a “Certain Person Not to Possess a Firearm,” a designation that applies to individuals with prior qualifying convictions. Reid admitted to possessing a loaded 9mm Taurus semi-automatic handgun despite having a prior conviction for unlawful possession of a firearm, which legally prohibits him from owning or handling firearms.
The incident occurred on July 2, 2023, when South Toms River police officers conducted a motor vehicle inquiry on a 2016 Chevrolet Impala parked at a Wawa convenience store. The inquiry revealed expired registration. As the vehicle exited the parking lot, officers initiated a traffic stop and found Reid driving with one male passenger.
According to authorities, Reid failed to provide valid registration or insurance for the vehicle. Officers then requested both occupants to exit the vehicle while a K-9 unit conducted an open-air sniff, which yielded a positive alert for narcotics. A subsequent search uncovered a quantity of methamphetamine and the loaded firearm.
Reid and the passenger were arrested and charged. Both were transported to the Ocean County Jail and later released under the provisions of New Jersey’s bail reform laws.
At the time of his plea, Reid took sole responsibility for the illegal items found in the car, and prosecutors subsequently dropped all charges against the passenger “in the interests of justice.”
Reid is scheduled to be sentenced on September 19, 2025. Prosecutors are seeking a seven-year term in New Jersey State Prison, with a mandatory five-year period of parole ineligibility.
