Two roaming Dogs Led Park Ridge Officers to a Loaded Handgun, Police Say

Park Ridge police recovered a holstered 9 mm handgun, a large-capacity magazine loaded with hollow-point ammunition and a laptop after officers responded to a report of two dogs running at large near Kinderkamack Road at about 8:07 p.m. Oct. 21, Chief Joseph Rampolla announced Oct. 22. Officers Charles Davies and Thomas Arcaro went to the area to handle the borough ordinance violation.

While working to contain the two small dogs, Arcaro noticed backpacks, a disassembled tent, a laptop, dog leashes and toys near bushes, police said. He looked into an unzipped backpack to identify the apparently abandoned property and found the holstered semiautomatic handgun, the large-capacity magazine holding hollow-point ammunition, and papers identifying Chance Whiting as the owner of the backpack and the other items. Detective Michael Albanese joined the investigation.

Davies and Arcaro returned to the location later for a reported dispute in progress. They found Whiting, 27, of Aynor, South Carolina, standing near the property. After further investigation, officers arrested him and took him to police headquarters for processing.

Whiting was charged with second-degree unlawful possession of a handgun, fourth-degree possession of a large-capacity ammunition magazine and fourth-degree possession of hollow-point ammunition. He was remanded to the Bergen County Jail pending a first appearance in Bergen County Superior Court in Hackensack. Rampolla thanked the Bergen County Sheriff's Department and the Montvale and Woodcliff Lake police departments for their assistance. The charges are accusations, and Whiting is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

A court date had not been listed in the Oct. 22 announcement.