A millionaire meat mogul ran naked onto his porch and fired a warning shot into the air after his luxury car collection was targeted by thieves for the 18th time – and was outraged to find himself on the wrong side of the law as a result.
Evan Wexler, 56, was filmed by his own surveillance cameras in the buff and brandishing his AR-15 semi-automatic assault rifle outside his huge mansion in Fort Lee, New Jersey, in July 2020.
He did so after thieves targeted his valuable car collection, which includes a Lamborghini worth $500,000, Range Rover and Mercedes G-Wagon.
The thief, who had gotten into the Mercedes after vaulting a high fence fled, but Wexler was stunned to find himself being arrested as a result. Cops found another rifle – an Israeli IWI Tavor Sar at his home – whose magazine size fell foul of the law.
He told DailyMail.com: ‘An incident happens where a guy gets my car started, I came out of the house with a rifle, the guy puts the car into drive, drives forward, and my gun discharges,’ he said. ‘At that point, Fort Lee police show up, there’s no victim of a shooting, but they come and turn the tables on me.’
‘I came out, the guy got the car started and when the car moved or jump forward my gun discharged. My wife called the police like we did every other time.’
This is the moment Evan Wexler ran onto the porch of his property to confront a thief trying to steal his Mercedes G-Wagon, only to find himself arrested and charged instead
A camera set up at another position captured the moment the thief fled after being confronted by Wexler
Wexler, who made a fortune as a meat wholesaler, was charged after cops found a gun whose magazine size fell foul of local laws in his home
Wexler was put on probation for two years, and can no longer own a gun, leaving him at the mercy of thieves who continue to target his luxury car collection
‘The cop comes and he sees a bullet hole in the side of this car and the next thing I know the sheriff is showing up, police and detectives are showing up. They get a subpoena to search my house, they take my guns, they take my gun license, they put me in jail for 48 hours. I’ve never been arrested in my life! Cops that I thought were friendly, that had my cell number and we would text back and forth.’
Wexler, who says he owns his guns legally, was charged with aggravated assault and possession of weapons for unlawful purposes, according to the New York Post.
Wexler pleaded guilty to a lesser charge to ‘make the case go away.’ None of the thieves who have targeted his property over the last two years have ever been caught.
He was relaxed about footage of his naked confrontation being shared, saying: ”I got a butt, you got a butt, people mostly just see my bald head and tattoos.’
But Wexler was far less impressed with how he ended up being treated as a criminal.
Wexler was forced to sell his guns and was slapped with probation for two years, which requires him to seek permission from the courts every time he wants to travel.
And to add insult to injury, his car collection is still regularly targeted by thieves – and he now no longer has his arsenal of weapons to scare them off.
A month after Wexler’s arrest, his $500,000 Lamborghini Aventador, pictured, was stolen and found 10 days later, having suffered $80,000 of damage
Wexler’s Mercedes is pictured. Thieves have previously broken into that car to try and find keys for the other luxury vehicles inside
Wexler also owns a Ferrari, pictured, at the garage of his home
A bright yellow Hummer also forms part of the meat wholesaler’s collection
The most infuriating theft saw thieves steal his Lamborghini Aventador SVJ Coupe – one of only ten in the United States – in August 2020, the month after his arrest.
The half-million dollar supercar was recovered 10 days later, having sustained $80,000 of damage. It was pilfered after thieves managed to find the keys inside Wexler’s unlocked Mercedes, which was parked behind his gates.
Explaining how he’d react to the attempted thefts when he was allowed to keep his guns, Wexler said: ‘Now that the door’s ringing, I’m keeping a 9mm on the nightable, a shotgun in the basement, a shotgun downstairs. It has me thinking outside the box. I have to start feeling like I might have to protect myself.’
‘I would wake up, I tend to sleep not with clothes. This thing has me frantic where I jump out of bed butt naked and run down the stairs because they’re here, knowing that the cops are not going to get here on time. They show up too late. It got to the point where I came out and they had come four straight nights.’
The businessman says his ordeal has made him more fearful while at home in the upmarket New Jersey enclave than when he is working in the notoriously-crime ridden Bronx.
This image shows the thief fleeing Wexler’s Mercedes after targeting the mogul’s Fort Lee Mansion in July 2020
He said: ‘I work in the Bronx and I would get anxiety going from the Bronx to fort Lee rather than the other way around. I feel like I’m being terrorized over and over again.’
Wexler insisted he wasn’t ‘a gun nut’ and says he only bought his first weapon after a house break-in in 2003.
He followed firearms etiquette to the letter, visiting a gun range semi-regularly to let off steam, and will likely be able to reapply for his gun license when his probation ends in January.
Wexler, pictured, is on probation until January, and says the continued attempts on his home have left him a nervous wreck
He has installed multiple security features, including gates and security camera
Wexler also has a Rottweiler dog to try and protect his property, but says thieves continue to target it
But he says the current absence of his weapons – and continued attempts to steal his car collection, with the most recent attempt made Sunday night – has left him ‘tired and anxious.’
Wexler explained: ‘I have had too many sleepless nights because I’m helpless. At least when I had guns in the house, I knew if they came into my house I had some protection, but now all I have is a dog.
‘I’m dealing with the consequences but the thieves are still out there.
‘Police every time they come they make it seem like I’m the only one that this happens to, but my neighbors have the same problem. ‘
‘I’m paying close to $60,000 in taxes. The police and just the way the deal with things… I understand that the big things are that New Jersey laws need to change, because their hands are tied and they can’t do their jobs. I want this to turn into Evan’s Law, where if you get caught trying to steal vehicles more than once, you need to do some time. I willing, for my tax money, to pay for that.’
The businessman says he refuses to sell any of his car collection on point of principle.
Police officials say they have increased patrols and man power in the areas that are seeing a rise in attempted thefts.
‘The department has assigned officers and detectives who have walked neighborhoods affected to educate residents to please lock your door and take your fobs,’ said Captain Edward Young.