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Exclusive: Ghost gun busts on Staten Island

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. (PIX11) — A significant ghost gun takedown is expected to put a huge dent in gun violence.

“You can download files or blueprints to build low revolvers extended magazines. Once you download it, I look at it as a slow cooker, set it, and forget it,” said NYPD Inspector Courtney Nilan.

On Staten Island, two major takedowns stopped the possibility of more ghost guns ending up in the wrong hands. 

Federal agents and Teams from the NYPD’s Field Intelligence Program led by Nilan executed two search warrants Thursday.

One at the home of Justin Nudelman. Nudelman faces federal charges and a lengthy prison sentence.

Inside Nudelman’s home, police found at least three ghost guns, several printers, parts and other tools to make ghost guns. A neighbor told PIX11 News he had no idea what was going on.

The neighbor said he felt bad because he never thought this would happen in his neighborhood.

Also, police found 3D-printed small attachments, which the Inspector said makes the guns more lethal.

Nilan said it makes the weapon fully automatic. 

Between both locations, more than 14 guns were recovered. 

As Gun Violence continues to affect communities across the city, Chief Joseph Gulotta, head of Patrol Borough Staten Island, said his major concern is when these guns end up in the hands.

“We have a youth-on-youth gun violence problem,” Gulotta said.

Both the Chief and the Inspect believe cracking down on the sale of ghost gun parts, the shipping and manufacturing will make neighborhoods safer.

What’s daunting to police is the revolving door, how cheap and easy it is to make ghost guns.

It took months of hard work to get to this, and Nilan and her team are now back at it in hopes of getting more ghost guns before they end up on the streets. 

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