New Kensington police arrested a man on a felony charge after an officer said he found him sleeping in a running car with a loaded pistol on the seat.

Jermaine Landell Jett, 23, of Harrison was charged with a felony count of carrying a firearm without a license along with resisting arrest, giving false identification to law enforcement and public drunkenness.

Jett was being detained in the Westmoreland County jail in lieu of a $15,000 cash bond, according to court records. He faces a Feb. 2 preliminary hearing before District Judge Frank J. Pallone Jr.

Police wrote in a criminal complaint that an officer was patrolling along Freeport Road shortly after 4:30 a.m. Sunday when he spotted a Honda sedan with the motor running and lights on parked in the lot of the Golden Dawn supermarket, which was closed, according to a criminal complaint.

The officer recognized the man sleeping in the back seat as Jett, who had warrants out for his arrest in connection with a terroristic threat charge filed against him by New Kensington police in July.

Jett rolled down the rear window after the officer knocked on it repeatedly, police said. But when he was asked to confirm his identity he gave the officer a false name.

Jett had an open container of alcohol on the center console and a satchel with a pistol inside sitting on the driver’s seat, the complaint said.

Jett appeared to be intoxicated when officers tried to take him into custody and scuffled with them until being placed in handcuffs, police said.

Police said the Glock 9 mm in the car had 14 rounds of ammunition in the magazine and one in the chamber ready to fire.

No record of ownership was found when police checked the serial number on the weapon, investigators said.

While police were on the scene, the owner of the vehicle came out of his nearby apartment and told officers that the gun they found belonged to him, the complaint said.

But officers confiscated it as evidence because the man did not have a concealed carry permit and was unable to provide proof that he was the owner, the complaint said.

Court records show Jett pleaded guilty in January 2020 in Butler County to felony counts of receiving stolen property and carrying a firearm without a license, along with counts of reckless endangerment and DUI. He was sentenced to 21 to 42 months in jail, plus probation.

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)