Meat magnate Evan Wexler is a car guy. He owns a number of very expensive automobiles and his collection has made his Fort Lee, New Jersey home a target for thieves. He says his home has been targeted 25 times since 2019.
Earlier this year, he heard someone trying to break into his Mercedes G-Wagon that was parked in front of his house. Thieves have used that strategy before to get access to the other exotic cars on the premises.
When Wexler heard the thief at work, he didn’t bother getting dressed before grabbing an AR-15 and confronting the would-be thief while standing on his front porch. Here’s security video of the incident . . .
It isn’t clear from the video, but when the thief started the car, Wexler fired a warning shot into the air. That was enough to cause the thief to take off into the night, but when police arrived, they were more concerned with the warning shot than the attempted robbery.
As the New York Post reports . . .
Cops originally charged Wexler with aggravated assault and possession of weapons for unlawful purposes, but he grudgingly pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of possession of a deadly weapon to make the case go away. That weapon was a different gun police found on his property, which was illegal because the magazine held too many bullets.
“I’m a guy who’s terrorized living in Fort Lee,” Wexler said.
“An incident happens where a guy gets my car started, I came out of the house with a rifle, the guy puts the car into drive, drives forward, and my gun discharges.
As a result of the plea bargain, Wexler has had to sell off all of his guns. He’ll avoid jail time, but will be on probation for the next two years.
We’ve said it before, but we’ll say it again. Presidential self-defense advice notwithstanding, warning shots are a very bad idea. They’re illegal in most places and you’re responsible for every round that leaves your gun. Pulling a trigger when your life isn’t threatened is very difficult to defend to police and prosecutors…as Mr. Wexler has now discovered. Don’t do it.
