Harlem Dad Built Ghost Gun Stash, Test-Fired Weapons In Central Park, DA Says

HARLEM, NY — A Harlem man manufactured and stashed ghost guns inside the apartment he shared with his family, allegedly test-firing the assault weapons in Central Park, authorities said.

Roberto Guerrero, 29, was indicted on Tuesday for allegedly using a 3D printer to create a stash of dangerous weapons, which he purportedly promoted online through his self-made videos, according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.

"Roberto Guerrero threatened the safety of all New Yorkers, including his own children, when he decided to manufacture and store 3D-printed weapons – some of which were fully operable – in his home," Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr. said. "As the technology behind 3D weapons continues to improve, the guns being produced are only becoming more sophisticated."

Guerrero allegedly began building 3D-printed firearms in September 2023, along with ordering firearm parts directly to his apartment, Bragg's office said.

The NYPD raided Guerrero’s home just after 6 a.m. on May 20, discovering an array of unsecured ghost guns and parts scattered throughout the apartment, some of which were stored in cardboard boxes and bags, prosecutors stated.

Officers found a 3D-printed pistol with a magazine loaded with seven rounds of ammunition; a 3D-printed assault weapon-style pistol; 30 3D-printed pistol lower receivers and a large capacity ammunition feeding device.

One of the lower receivers was modeled after a traditional AR-15 weapon. A 3D printer and other supplies to assemble weapons, such as filament and other tools, were also recovered, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors allege that Guerrero would advertise his designs through self-produced videos — including five clips he recorded of himself shooting the guns in Central Park.

In particular, Guerrero fired two assault weapons equipped with attached silencers on Dec. 8, 2023, and Feb. 20, 2024.

"This cache of weapons, including untraceable, 3D-printed ghost guns, had the potential to wreak horrendous carnage — as the defendant, himself, demonstrated several times on video," said NYPD Commissioner Caban.

Prosecutors state that Guerrero’s wife was involved in the ghost gun operation and faces separate charges for allegedly aiding in the manufacturing process.

Guerrero has been charged with several counts of criminal possession of a weapon, manufacturing and transporting weapons, and criminal possession of a firearm, all of which are felonies.

He also faces a slew of misdemeanor charges, including criminal possession of a weapon, failure to safely store the weapons, endangering the welfare of a child and unlawful possession of ammunition.

City officials have prioritized cracking down on the proliferation of ghost guns. Earlier this year, Bragg urged YouTube to take further action to halt the spread of videos on its platform demonstrating how to make and manufacture ghost guns and 3D-printed guns.

Many of these videos are targeted at young children and adults through the platform's algorithm, Bragg's office said.

"Gun violence remains our top priority and while I am pleased that shootings and homicides are down significantly since I took Office, we must remain diligent and leverage every tool at our disposal to tackle ghost guns and ultimately prevent gun violence," Bragg said.

The D.A.’s Office, alongside the NYPD and other law enforcement partners, founded the Ghost Guns Initiative in 2020 to combat the proliferation of ghost guns in New York City.

To date, the initiative has prosecuted cases resulting in the seizure of over 134 ghost gun parts, 92 firearms, 443 high-capacity magazines, 47 silencers and additional gear such as scopes and rapid-fire modification devices, prosecutors said.