Defendant Sold a Gun to Undercover on Crowded Street Right Before Game;
Total of 11 Firearms, Including AK-47, and $418K Recovered in Investigation
Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark and New York City Police Commissioner
Edward Caban today announced that eight Bronx men have been indicted on charges related to
selling firearms, cocaine, and methamphetamine steps away from Yankee Stadium.
District Attorney Clark said, “The defendant who allegedly sold eight guns to an
undercover NYPD officer allegedly put thousands of subway commuters, those who work and go
to school nearby, and baseball fans in jeopardy. These alleged traffickers conducted business in
broad daylight, down the block from the Stadium and beneath the elevated subway station.”
NYPD Commissioner Caban said, “These charges underscore the destructive threat that
illegal guns and drugs continue to pose on the streets of New York City, as well as our
unwavering dedication to improving quality of life in every neighborhood. I commend the
efforts of the brave undercover officer in this case, and I thank our partners in the office of the
Bronx district attorney for their ongoing commitment to our shared public safety mission.”
District Attorney Clark said the defendants, Jeriel Fernandez, 30, Jael Fernandez, 21,
Jonathan Fernandez, 31, (all related), Marvin Fortuna, 29, Ronny Fortuna, 32, (related) Jose
Tejada Jr., 26, and his father, Jose Tejada Sr., 60, and Christian Espinal, 49, all of the Bronx,
are variously charged in a 108-count indictment charging first-degree Criminal Sale of a
Controlled Substance, second-degree Conspiracy, first-degree Criminal Sale of a Firearm, and
related charges. The Tejadas, the Fortunas and Jonathan Fernandez were arraigned on July 2,
2024, before Bronx Supreme Court Justice Brenda Rivera. Jose Tejada Jr. is remanded. The
other arraignments are pending.
District Attorney Clark said the investigation began in March 2023, outside of 90 East
161st Street, the former Lush Smoke Shop, where an undercover investigator allegedly purchased
cocaine and methamphetamine pills from Jose Tejeda Jr.
Investigators also discovered Tejada was allegedly working with Ronny Fortuna and Marvin
Fortuna who were allegedly selling cocaine in the proximity of the Smoke Shop. Marvin Fortuna
also allegedly cooked, packed, and distributed cocaine from his home at 1875 University Avenue.
Jeriel Fernandez and Jael Fernandez allegedly supplied large amounts of powdered cocaine to
Tejada Jr.
According to the investigation, in January 2024, Tejada Jr. allegedly progressed to
firearms sales, and sold a total of eight weapons to the undercover investigator. The sales
occurred on Gerard Avenue near East 161 Street. The last sale occurred on April 10, 2024, at
about 6:30 p.m., when Tejada Jr. handed the undercover a backpack containing a loaded 9-mm
pistol.
The long-term investigation led to multiple search warrants in defendants’ homes on May
17, 2024, in which additional defendants were arrested and three firearms—including an AK-47-
-drugs and nearly $418,000 in cash were recovered.
The investigation also found the defendants were using a white Sprinter van parked outside
the Smoke Shop to store narcotics and a gun. The van had a cut-out window and was adorned
with bright colored advertising for edible marijuana flavors.
District Attorney Clark thanked NYPD Detective Victor Voronkov, and Lieutenant
Andrew Bocchieri and Zone 2 from the Narcotics Borough Bronx for their work on the case.
An indictment is an accusatory instrument and not proof of a defendant’s guilt
