# Honduran Man Charged With Swinging a Hammer at ICE Officers During a New Jersey Traffic Stop

Federal prosecutors say Reinieri De Jesus Licona Amador, 27, climbed onto his truck during a stop in Gibbsboro. He was pepper-sprayed and arrested without injury, and faces up to 20 years if convicted.

- Section: [Border & Security](https://rightnewsrightnow.com/border-security/)
- Published: 2026-10-21
- By: RightNewsRightNow Staff
- Canonical page: https://rightnewsrightnow.com/articles/honduran-national-charged-hammer-ice-officers-new-jersey-traffic-stop/

Federal prosecutors say a Honduran man in the country without legal status attacked ICE officers with a hammer when they pulled him over in New Jersey.

Reinieri De Jesus Licona Amador, 27, is charged with assaulting federal officers. He appeared Monday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth A. Pascal in Camden federal court, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey, as reported by Fox News.

The stop. Prosecutors say it began during a targeted ICE operation in Gibbsboro, when officers ran a license plate check on a truck. The criminal complaint says the truck was registered to Licona Amador and that immigration records showed he lacked lawful status. Officers turned on their emergency lights and pulled him over.

The allegations. According to the complaint, officers saw him reach into a tool container in the back seat and pick up a hammer. Prosecutors say he ignored orders to stop moving. Officers opened the door and tried to remove him, and he allegedly pulled away and moved to the passenger side. The complaint says he then climbed out of the passenger side holding the hammer, climbed onto the passenger-side door and repeatedly swung it at the officers. Officers used pepper spray and wrestled him to the ground. He was arrested without injury.

The penalty. He faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted of assaulting federal officers with a deadly or dangerous weapon.

The statement. "When an individual responds to a traffic stop by attacking an officer with a hammer, that conduct threatens not only the officer's safety but the rule of law itself," U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer said. "We will not allow violent attacks on federal officers to go unanswered and will hold those responsible accountable under the law."

Caveats. This account comes from a criminal complaint, which is the government's version. Licona Amador is charged, not convicted. We did not find a plea, an attorney's statement or a response from him in the report.

## Source

Original reporting: [Fox News](https://www.foxnews.com/us/honduran-illegal-immigrant-charged-assaulting-ice-officers-hammer-new-jersey-traffic-stop)