MAYS LANDING — An Egg Harbor Township man has been sentenced to 14 years in state prison following two separate cases involving firearms and drugs, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office.
Joshua E. Brickhouse, 34, was sentenced Tuesday by Superior Court Judge Donna Taylor to 14 years in New Jersey State Prison, with seven years of parole ineligibility.
Brickhouse previously pleaded guilty to second-degree possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose, second-degree certain persons not to possess weapons and fourth-degree possession of a large-capacity ammunition magazine.
The charges stemmed from an Oct. 22, 2025, traffic stop conducted by Galloway Township police.
According to prosecutors, officers stopped a vehicle because the registered owner's driver's license was expired. The woman driving the vehicle had a suspended license.
Brickhouse, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, had a $1,500 traffic warrant and was asked to get out of the vehicle, prosecutors said.
Police then spotted a handgun underneath the front passenger seat, according to the Prosecutor's Office.
Authorities said the weapon was a .40-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun equipped with a 30-round magazine and a switch that made it capable of fully automatic fire.
Police removed the other occupants from the vehicle and subsequently found another handgun — a 9mm Luger with an extended magazine — inside a backpack on the floor near backseat passenger Nathaniel Fisher, prosecutors said. Fisher's identification was also inside the bag.
Investigators also recovered 100 bags of suspected heroin/fentanyl from the rear passenger area, along with empty baggies, sandwich bags and a digital scale, according to the Prosecutor's Office.
Brickhouse had more than $1,000 in cash on him, while Fisher had more than $100, prosecutors said.
Both men had previous criminal convictions that prohibited them from possessing firearms.
Fisher was previously sentenced Sept. 1 in connection with the case.
Brickhouse was also sentenced Tuesday in a separate Atlantic City drug case.
He received seven years in state prison after previously pleading guilty to third-degree possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. That sentence will run concurrently with the 14-year sentence, meaning it does not add another seven years to his total prison term.
That case resulted from a July 8, 2025, traffic stop by Atlantic City police.
According to prosecutors, a police K-9 alerted during the stop, leading officers to search the vehicle. Police reported finding digital scales, 80 wax folds of suspected heroin/fentanyl and a clear plastic bag containing crack cocaine.
Brickhouse had $343 in cash, according to authorities.
The Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office Gangs, Guns and Narcotics Unit prosecuted both cases.
Source: Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office.
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Karen Johnson
With over 30 years of news experience in major markets like Los Angeles, Denver, and Columbus, Karen now covers our area for South Jersey NewsBeat. She also brings her articulate and conversational news delivery to WOND radio listeners every weekday. Her background includes work with the NBC Radio Network, and she thrives in fast-paced news environments.
