Guns Found in Abandoned Car on Lewes Beach: Felon Arrested

Norah Block '26

Associate Editor

A Maryland man was arrested on Tuesday, September 24th, following the discovery of several firearms, various other weapons, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. These items were found inside an abandoned car parked on the sand of Lewes beach. 

The incident started at 12:30am Tuesday morning when police received a call that a suspicious male was walking the streets of Lewes. Officers were dispatched to Savannah Road where they encountered 30-year-old Alexander Gard experiencing what they described as a “mental-health episode.” Gard stated that his truck had been stolen when he was at the Wawa off Coastal Highway. He declined police assistance in submitting a stolen vehicle report and claimed he called a friend to come pick him up. 

Six hours later, officers were alerted about the missing car. The car contained three 9mm handguns, a 12-gauge shotgun, an AR-15 scoped rifle, and multiple sharp weapons including brass knuckles. The owner of the car had not yet been identified and Lewes local schools and hospital went into “secure status” following protocol out of extreme caution.

The truck with the weapons had no license plate but police were able to trace the registration back to Gard through computer records. He was taken into custody without protest. Officers discovered he was currently homeless and a convicted felon in the State of Virginia. He was charged with five counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony by a prohibited person and six counts of possession of a firearm or ammunition by a person prohibited due to a prior violent felony conviction. He is now at Sussex Correctional Institution on secured bail.

Truck parked on the dunes of Savannah Beach.