By: Richard L. Smith
Police say two men were taken into custody during separate traffic stops Saturday and are now facing multiple gun and drug-related charges.
The first arrest happened at about 12:40 a.m. on August 9, 2025, when an officer assigned to Wood Avenue in Elizabeth saw 29-year-old Jeffrey Reyes talking on his cell phone without a hands-free device.
After stopping Reyes on the 400 block of North Wood Avenue, police say a search uncovered an illegal handgun.
Reyes is charged with second-degree possession of a weapon.
Later that afternoon, around 4:15 p.m., officers stopped 42-year-old Michael Cidieudfort of Newark as he drove north on the 1400 block of East Edgar Road (Route 1).
With assistance from the Union County Sheriff’s K9 Unit, police say they recovered a stolen handgun, oxycodone, promethazine, and marijuana.
Cidieudfort faces multiple charges, including second-degree possession of a weapon, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, third-degree possession of stolen property, two counts of third-degree distribution of a controlled dangerous substance, and second-degree distribution of a controlled dangerous substance in a designated park zone. 
He is also charged with related narcotics possession offenses.
Both men were taken to the Essex County Jail, where they remain pending their court appearances.