Seaside Heights men busted after gun found hidden in park toilet
Seaside Heights, NJ — A quiet afternoon in a Lakewood park turned into a scene out of a crime drama when a man allegedly stashed a stolen handgun inside a public portable toilet, prompting the arrest of two Seaside Heights men now facing a slew of weapons charges.
Detectives had been tracking Michael Daluesio, 43, for days amid reports he was offering to sell a firearm in exchange for drugs or cash. On Monday, during a surveillance operation, investigators followed him as he drove a rental car through Lakewood with 31-year-old Nathan Miller riding shotgun. The pair’s trip ended at a public park, where Daluesio briefly entered a portable toilet before officers closed in.
Daluesio was arrested as he exited the portable restroom. A search inside turned up a loaded 9mm handgun and loose ammunition tucked inside a paper bag. Investigators quickly determined the weapon was reported stolen from Montgomery, Alabama.
As officers detained Miller, who had taken the wheel while Daluesio was inside the restroom, further digging led authorities to a storage unit in Toms River linked to Miller. With a court-issued warrant in hand, detectives searched the unit and found a second stolen gun—a .380 caliber handgun originally reported missing in Mobile, Alabama—along with drug paraphernalia. More paraphernalia was also found in the rented vehicle.
Daluesio is now facing charges that include unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of a stolen firearm, possession of drug paraphernalia, and being a certain person not allowed to own a weapon. He is currently being held in Ocean County Jail awaiting a detention hearing.
Miller was also charged with two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm, two counts of possession of a stolen firearm, possession of drug paraphernalia, and wandering to obtain or distribute a controlled substance. He, too, remains in custody.
Both men are presumed innocent pending trial.
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Key Points
- Two Seaside Heights men arrested after one allegedly hid a stolen gun in a Lakewood park toilet
- Investigation led to a second stolen gun found in a Toms River storage unit
- Both suspects remain in Ocean County Jail awaiting detention hearings