Standoff suspect worked at PA gun shop and range
BORDENTOWN » Donald Peluso, the township man who barricaded himself inside a home with a family member and a cache of weapons during a tense standoff with cops, was a manager at a gun dealer, according to his Facebook page.
Authorities confirmed Monday he was hit with a weapons charge as details emerged about the four-hour-long standoff that brought the township to a standstill. State, local and federal authorities were called in to help after Peluso, 54, locked himself in a Redwood Avenue home with a 33-year-old family member, Bordentown Police Chief Brian Pesce told The Trentonian.
She called 911 shortly after 12:30 p.m. Friday and told cops the suicidal Peluso armed himself with several firearms as she sought refuge in an upstairs bedroom.
Nearby homes were evacuated and Bordentown cops set up a nearby command post as negotiators pleaded with Peluso to let the woman go free during the unfolding crisis.
He agreed but the standoff continued as negotiators tried to get Peluso, who was charged with being in possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, to give himself up. Eventually, a State Police SWAT team stormed the home and took Peluso into custody without a firefight.
Authorities recovered three weapons, a 9 mm handgun, shotgun and an assault-style AR-15 rifle and ammunition.
Peluso never pointed the weapons at the woman or police during the standoff, Pesce said, explaining the lone weapons charge. He remained inside the home throughout most of the ordeal, briefly venturing onto the porch, the chief said.
No one was injured during the standoff that led authorities to close down a lane of Route 206 near Maple Avenue as curious onlookers took up along the highway to take in the action when heavily armed state troopers and FBI agents overtook the neighborhood, deploying an armored
vehicle, police dog and robot.
Pesce said officers showed “tremendous restraint and empathy” during the standoff.
Peluso was hospitalized last week in crisis and remained in custody Monday.
There was no immediate word on whether prosecutors would look to detain him.
The phone rang off the hook at the Bristol, Pa. Ready Aim Fire gun dealer and indoor shooting range Peluso listed as his employer.