Sniper`s Local Connection

The car confiscated in connection with arrests of the alleged snipers was registered to suspect John Muhammad in Camden, N.J.

When the FBI ran fingerprints from an unrelated shooting in Montgomery, Ala., they came up with the name of John Allen Muhammad. Federal agents then traced the 1990 Chevrolet Caprice that was registered to Muhammad to an apartment building and restaurant on Sheridan Street Wednesday.

Wednesday night, FBI agents and state and local police surrounded the residence looking for Muhammad. Hours later police arrested Muhammad and Lee Malvo in Maryland.

"He introduced himself as John," the building's owner, John Clark, said.

Agents questioned Clark and he told them that Muhammad did not live there and that he had only seen him in the restaurant two or three times in August.

"I never thought about it. When you look back it now, you think, 'What an odd individual,'" Clark said.

According to Department of Motor Vehicles' officials, Muhammad and Nathaniel Osbourne co-registered the car under the building's address in September. Authorities are now looking for Osbourne as a material witness.

Some neighbors think they remember seeing Muhammad as recently as Friday.

One man said that he thinks he recognizes the car that was confiscated.

"Same car. The reason I know it was, was because of the hub caps. They got the black centerpiece and it looks like the Camden police undercover cars," the man said.

Most neighbors do not remember Muhammad; however, some have no doubt that he was in Camden.

"I said, 'Oh my God, I know him,' not knowing him personally but from around," said one woman who asked to not be identified.

Camden police said that there had been several shootings in the area, but none related to Muhammad. He does not have a criminal record in the city.

The car allegedly used by the sniper suspects was purchased from Sure Shot Auto Sales in Trenton, N.J.

The owner of Sure Shot, Chris Ocupskie, said that on Sept. 7, Muhammad came in and said he was looking for a car for his son. He was alone. Ocupskie said that he spoke with a Jamaican accent so he asked him where he was from. Muhammad said he was from Canada, but he was reluctant to answer further questions.

Muhammad took the car on a test drive. It had 147,000 miles on it and Ocupskie had bought it from the municipality of Bordentown, indicating that it might have been a patrol car.

Muhammad came back on Tuesday, Sept. 10 and paid $250 for the car, Ocupskie said.

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