Haul of a lot of weapons in GWB stop

An arsenal of high-powered firearms — including three assault rifles and enough ammo to start a small war — were found in a pickup truck heading across the George Washington Bridge to Manhattan, authorities said Thursday.

A Georgia couple carting the weapons are now in custody after one of them falsely claimed to be a law enforcement officer, a Port Authority spokeswoman said.

Port Authority Police Officer Brian Gleason pulled the truck over for not having a rear licence plate as it was entering the span over the Hudson River about 7 p.m. Tuesday, officials said.

In place of the plate cops found a hand written note that said the driver was waiting for his registration to go through, a source with knowledge of the case said.

As he looked over the vehicle, the officer realized passenger Terry Gooden had a firearm on him.

Gooden, 60, produced a fake business card, claiming to be a police officer, and a Georgia firearms identification card. He said that he and his 57-year-old wife Tonya Gooden, who was driving, were on their way to Connecticut, officials said.

Once Gleason determined the ID card was fake, a further search of the truck was conducted. The three assault weapons, a rifle with a scope, one handgun, several magazines and at least three ammunition boxes with thousands of different caliber bullets were found, sources said.

Gooden and his wife were charged with illegal weapons possession, officials said. Gooden was also charged with impersonating a police officer.

Port Authority police and federal authorities were continuing to investigate Thursday, trying to determine where the couple were transporting the weapons.

Paul Nunziato, president of the Port Authority Police Benevolent Association. said Officer Gleason “did an outstanding job.”

“This is what our cops and all cops face every day,” Nunziato said. “Nothing is routine. They never know what they are walking into.”