Brandon Marquez, of Central Islip, charged with possessing ghost gun parts after traffic stop arrest

A man faces illegal weapons possession charges after officers found a 3D printer, ghost gun frames, ammunition and assault rifles in his Central Islip home on Thursday, Suffolk County police said.

Around 10:20 p.m., Brandon Marquez, 23, was driving a 2020 Acura on Brentwood Road in Brentwood when officers pulled him over for driving with an expired registration, police said in a news release.

During the traffic stop, police discovered he had an illegal weapon, along with a large-capacity magazine, according to authorities.

Police then searched Marquez's Clift Street residence and seized two assault rifles with magazines, a 3D printer with a computer, six ghost gun-type receivers, or frames, a quantity of ammunition and 3D printing material, police said.

Marquez was charged with six counts of criminal manufacture of an undetectable firearm, six counts of criminal possession of an undetectable firearm, three counts of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon and one count of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

 He was taken from the Third Precinct for arraignment Saturday morning at First District Court in Central Islip. He pleaded not guilty and bail was set $50,000 cash or $100,000.00 insured bond, according to online court records. 

Compared to firearms manufactured by companies with serial numbers, ghost guns are made of parts that owners can assemble themselves, the critical component being a lower receiver, or frame.

In October, Gov. Kathy Hochul's office said that more than 7,700 illegal guns were seized in New York State in 2024.

In 2021, Hochul signed two bills that prevent the possession and sale of unfinished gun parts.

Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly’s office said in 2024, 19 of 328 weapons seized were ghost guns.

The Suffolk County District Attorney's office does not track ghost gun seizures, according to spokesperson Emily O’Neill. The Suffolk County Police Department tracks ghost guns seized among total firearm seizures, a department spokesperson said. The number of ghost guns seized in Suffolk County last year was not immediately available on Friday.

Seizures of ghost guns on Long Island have increased in recent years, Newsday previously reported.

Suffolk police seized 55 ghost guns in 2022, compared to 33 in 2021, and Nassau police seized 48 ghost guns in 2022, up from 10 the previous year.

With Nicholas Grasso