Man arrested after allegedly threatening to kill grocery store worker with pellet gun
Responding officers arrived at the scene in under two minutes.
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A Paterson man was arrested after allegedly brandishing a realistic pellet gun and threatening to kill a grocery store employee on Friday.
Passaic Police responded to Food Universe on Lexington Avenue at approximately 2:03 p.m. on Aug. 28, 2026, after a 911 caller reported a man causing a disruption, panhandling, and claiming to have a firearm.
Authorities identified the suspect as 40-year-old Adolfo Barrientos. Store employees recognized Barrientos from a previous incident in June, when police had issued him an official trespass warning instructing him not to return to the premises.
When an employee asked Barrientos to leave on Friday, he allegedly announced he had a gun, threatened to kill the worker, and reached into his waistband. Barrientos pulled out what appeared to be a black handgun and dropped it on the floor before picking it back up.
Responding officers arrived at the scene in under two minutes and taken Barrientos into custody without incident just outside the store. Investigators confirmed the firearm was a realistic-looking replica handgun designed to shoot plastic pellets.
Barrientos was charged with possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, defiant trespass, and making terroristic threats.
