Utica Man Arrested After Threatening Victim with Stolen Handgun on Bleecker Street

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August 4, 2025

UTICA, NY — In the early morning hours of August 2nd, 2025, Utica Police responded to a potentially dangerous situation on the 200 block of Bleecker Street following reports of a man threatening someone with a handgun during a heated dispute.

When officers arrived around 2:40 a.m., they were given a detailed description of the suspect. Moments later, they spotted someone matching that description nearby. As officers moved in to make contact, the man quickly ducked into a local business and disappeared into a vacant room.

Police secured the area and detained the individual shortly after he emerged from the room. Officers confirmed that the man, later identified as 22-year-old Michael Nowak of Utica, had no reason or permission to be inside the business. With the owner’s consent, police searched the room he had briefly entered and made a significant discovery.

Inside, they found a loaded 9mm handgun that matched the weapon described by the victim. Further investigation revealed that the firearm had been reported stolen out of Montgomery County, New York.

Nowak was taken into custody and transported to the Utica Police Department, where he was charged with:

▪︎ Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree

▪︎ Criminal Possession of a Firearm

Police say additional charges are likely as the investigation into the stolen weapon continues.