A man from Prospect Park allegedly shot himself with a gun in Paterson, NJ and then lied about it to police. As a result, the man has been charged with illegal possession of a handgun.

The suspect is a 22-year-old Prospect Park NJ man. According to the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, the suspect inadvertently shot himself in the hand with a firearm.

The suspect then took himself to the St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center trauma center in Paterson NJ, where doctors treated him for his injuries.

Hospital employees contacted the Paterson Police Department, which sent officers to the medical center to investigate. When Paterson police officers talked to the suspect, he reportedly lied and claimed that he was shot by someone else.

Paterson police detectives investigated and eventually placed the suspect under arrest after determining that he may have shot himself.

The suspect faces criminal charges for unlawful possession of a weapon and giving a false report to a police officer.

If the suspect is ultimately convicted on the weapons offense charges, he could be sentenced to a mandatory term of incarceration in NJ State Prison.

For additional information about this case, check out the NJ.com article, “Man Shot Himself in Hand, Then Lied to Police About It, Cops Say.”