Holyoke police arrest man, seize firearm after student enticement allegation
HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) – A Chicopee man was arrested Wednesday morning after allegedly attempting to lure a high school student into his vehicle, leading Holyoke police to seize a loaded firearm and a significant quantity of drugs, authorities said.
According to Holyoke Police Chief Brian Keenan, School Resource Officer Manny Rivera received a report around 7:50 a.m. from a student who said they had been approached by a man in a white pickup truck near Oak and West Franklin streets. The student told police that the driver attempted to persuade them to enter the vehicle.
Officers immediately launched a search and, within 30 minutes, located the unoccupied truck on Franklin Street. They identified the vehicle's owner and later tracked down the suspect, 33-year-old Justin Mangual of Chicopee, inside an apartment on Maple Street.
While conducting a sweep of the apartment, officers discovered approximately 100 vials of crack cocaine. Upon receiving permission to search the truck, they also recovered a loaded rifle. Authorities said Mangual did not have a driver's license or a license to carry a firearm.
Mangual, who has a prior conviction for possession of a firearm without an FID card, was placed under arrest and charged with:
Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle
Carrying a Firearm without an FID Card – Subsequent Offense
Chief Keenan praised the student for quickly alerting school staff, calling their response critical in leading officers to the suspect.
'I want to commend this student who, in a traumatic situation, immediately alerted staff of this incident,' Keenan said. 'Without that quick intervention and the ensuing actions by our responding police officers, we would not have been able to locate this suspect as quickly as we did.'
He also credited School Resource Officer Rivera for building trust with students, which helped ensure a swift response.
Holyoke police detectives are continuing to investigate the allegations of enticement and the narcotics found in the apartment. Additional charges could follow.
WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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