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TRYING TO HELP – Rev. Carlos Jarvis, the pastor of the Bethany Lutheran Church, said that he’s trying to help his troubled son, Brandon Hurd, who was arrested last week on weapons related charges in Jersey City.
A North Bergen pastor's son who was arrested last month for organizing an underage drinking party at township Lutheran church was arrested in Jersey City again last week and charged with an assortment of weapons charges after a routine motor vehicle stop.
According to Jersey City Police Capt. Hugh Donaghue, Brandon Hurd, the 23-year-old son of Rev. Carlos Jarvis, the pastor of the Bethany Lutheran Church on 13th Street and Kennedy Boulevard, was arrested with two other North Bergen residents early Thursday morning near the Caven Point area of the Greenville section.
Donaghue said that two Jersey City police officers witnessed a Chrysler Town and Country van, which was property of the Bethany Lutheran Church, operating erratically traveling north on Caven Point Road.
"The vehicle was traveling at a slow speed and continually swayed right to left and failed to properly maintain a lane," the police report read.
According to Donaghue, the two Jersey City patrolmen then pulled over the vehicle and conducted a search. The driver of the vehicle was identified as Luis Trejol, a 21-year-old North Bergen resident who lives on 13th Street, right around the corner from the Bethany Lutheran Church.
Hurd was sitting in the passenger seat of the van that is owned by his father. Another North Bergen resident, Juan Diaz, 26, of Grand Street, was in the second row of seats in the van.
When the police came to the window to obtain Trejol's identification, one of the officers noticed that Hurd was wearing a holster for a weapon on his hip.
"The holster was black nylon and empty," the police report read.
The officer also noticed a black, fully loaded magazine of ammunition lying on the floor of the van on the passenger side, under Hurd's feet. He also noticed a white bullet proof vest sitting between the driver's seat and passenger's seat.
Upon noticing these items, the Jersey City patrolmen believed that the men in the van were armed and held them at gunpoint while additional units arrived at the scene. The three men were ordered out of the vehicle and were searched for weapons, but came up empty.
According to the report, when Hurd left the vehicle, one of the officers noticed the handle of a handgun protruding from the center floor vent. Hurd was then placed in handcuffs and told by police to remain near the rear of the van.
The officer retrieved the handgun, which was a .45 caliber Ruger. While the Ruger was being removed, the police found another handgun, a 9 millimeter Hi-Point. Both of the guns were fully loaded and had extra ammunition.
Hurd apparently told the police that he was a "bounty hunter" and that he didn't know anything about the guns.
"I just use the holster for intimidation," Hurd said, according to the police report.
According to police, Hurd was asked if he had a permit to carry the kinds of weapons that were confiscated, he replied, "No."
All three men were charged with unlawful possession of firearms and other weapons-related charges. They were brought to the Jersey City South District for processing and were later released after a bail hearing at Central Judicial Processing in the Hudson County Superior Court.
Hurd was just arrested three weeks ago and charged with providing alcohol to minors and creating a nuisance at the Oct. 7 altercation in the Bethany Lutheran Church hall where six partygoers were stabbed. Hurd also was charged by the local Alcohol Beverage Control with serving illicit alcohol to minors.
The incident at the church's hall took place when as many as 200 people, most all of whom were underage, went to the party organized by Hurd (with invitations going out over the Internet). They paid $10 to receive a cup that would entitle the partygoer to drink punch that allegedly was spiked with Everclear, the lethal 95 proof grain alcohol.
Later that evening, two rival street gangs met up at the party and a fight broke out, causing six people to receive stab wounds.
Hurd will eventually have to stand trial on those charges in Hudson County Superior Court. The state ABC charge is the most severe of the charges, a third degree crime with the possibility of a lengthy jail sentence. Hurd was released on his own recognizance for the charges in organizing the party.
These latest weapons charges have nothing to do with the prior arrest, but it has certainly angered Hurd's father, Rev. Jarvis.
"I'm very, very concerned and very disappointed," Jarvis said. "He took the van without my permission. I'm trying to do what I can to turn him around. But was I angry about this? You better believe it. I was very angry, no question. Young people have to learn the hard way."
Rev. Jarvis said that his son was working as a bounty hunter and he believes that the three North Bergen men were going to try out the bullet proof vests to see if they worked.
"He is a bounty hunter," Jarvis said. "I guess they were going to shoot at the vests. Who knows? Brandon needs some help and at this point, I have to do something to help him."
Bethany Lutheran Church's hall is still closed to parties and gatherings, because it has yet to receive a proper certificate of occupancy from the North Bergen Board of Adjustment.
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