ASHBURNHAM — On Friday, June 27, 2025, at approximately 9:32 a.m., Sergeant Brian Rosengren of the Ashburnham Police Department was dispatched to a residence on Ashby Road following a report that a man, later identified as Joshua Paradis, had made suicidal threats and left the residence.
(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Officer Paul Forand and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)
When Sgt. Rosengren arrived on scene, he spoke with Joshua’s parents.
“Upon entering the residence, I introduced myself and advised both that my BWC [body worn camera] was activated,” Sgt. Rosengren said. “[Joshua’s mother] advised me that she called 911 because their son, Josh, recently had a relapse with his drug use and this week they tried three different places for him to go for treatment and had left all three of them. Last night he was at Emerson Hospital in Concord for treatment and when they called his name, he was located outside using. They found him a bed and had him sleep it off. At 3 a.m. when he got up, he signed himself out of the hospital.”
Sgt. Rosengren said Joshua’s mother was seeking help to have him committed, saying he needs treatment or they will lose him.
According to police, Joshua R. Paradis, 34, is a resident of Ashby Road in Ashburnham, MA.
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“[Joshua’s mother] stated that she told him that he couldn’t come back to the residence and that his girlfriend told him that he couldn’t go to her place,” Sgt. Rosengren said. “[Joshua’s mother] gave him his car and he left. [She] further stated that his girlfriend said he was texting someone in Gardner, but didn’t know who it was and felt he was going to get more drugs.”
Joshua’s mother gave Sgt. Rosengren the license plate for his vehicle.
“[Joshua’s mother] asked what she could do to get him some help, and I recommended that they go to the courthouse and apply for a Section 35 today while they are open and I advised that we could send out a BOLO [Be on the Lookout] for a wellbeing check on Josh.” (In Massachusetts, a Section 35 refers to a court order under Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 123, Section 35 that allows a judge to involuntarily commit someone for substance use disorder treatment if their alcohol or drug use poses a serious risk of harm to themselves or others.)
“I asked if he made any statements about harming himself, and [Joshua’s mother] replied that the other day he was very angry and when he left, he said he’s sorry he didn’t do this years ago,” Sgt. Rosengren said. “[Joshua’s father] asked [Joshua’s mother] what Josh meant by that statement and she replied that he was talking about hurting himself. I clarified that [Joshua’s mother] was referring to the other day and she said yes. He didn’t say anything this morning, he just got the keys to his car, and she sent him on his way.”
At this time, Detective Quinn Smith arrived on scene.
“[Joshua’s mother] stated that he has a girlfriend who is pregnant with twins and that he is not farther material,” Sgt. Rosengren said. “I asked what he uses, and [Joshua’s father] and [Joshua’s mother] replied, fentanyl, cocaine, heroin and that he has been through it all. [Joshua’s father] stated this has been going on for years since ’09, referring to 16 years ago in 2009. [Joshua’s mother] said that she is afraid that she is going to either find him dead somewhere or he is going to hurt himself. I again advised her that we would put out a BOLO for his well-being and advised [her] to go to the courthouse to apply for Section 35.”
Sergeant Rosengren said that, without asking any questions or making any other statements, Joshua’s mother then got up from where he was sitting and entered a bedroom.
“This bedroom was immediately off of the living room area directly behind the chair that [Joshua’s father] was sitting in,” Sgt. Rosengren said.
Sergeant Rosengren said the door to the bedroom was open during his interaction with Joshua’s parents.
“[Joshua’s mother] returned to the living room again unprovoked, stating that he does have a gun that is registered and that the gun is still here and that he didn’t take it with him ‘Thank God,’” Sgt. Rosengren said. “Det. Smith asked if I wanted to take the firearm. Before answering Det. Smith I asked [Joshua’s father] and [Joshua’s mother] if either of them had a LTC [License to Carry] and they replied no. [Joshua’s father] then replied that they went through this the first time, but he is living here now, and the papers have all been registered to the house.”
Detective Smith asked Joshua’s parents when they had last seen him use drugs, and they replied that it was the day before.
“I asked [Joshua’s mother] where the firearm was right now and she stated in his drawer. I asked if it was locked up in the drawer or if it was open and she said it was open and he does have a lock box for it but it was not in it,” Sgt. Rosengren said.
Sergeant Rosengren told Joshua’s parents that he was going to seize the firearm in the interest of everyone’s safety.
“[Joshua’s father] lead us into the bedroom and while Richard was looking in the drawer, he stated that he has another one for a total of two,” Sgt. Rosengren said. “[Joshua’s father] then said he did not know where the other one was. Det. Smith retrieved the unsecured firearm from the top drawer of the bureau along with two magazines and two loose rounds. Det. Smith advised [Joshua’s parents] that if they located the other firearm, to contact the police department and we would come retrieve it. Det. Smith asked what type of type of gun is it and [Joshua’s father] stated, ‘like a shotgun.’”
Sergeant Rosengren said that, at this time, Joshua’s mother said, “Hold on, I think I know where it is,” and then went to the closet in the bedroom.
“[Joshua’s mother] retrieved a black pump action shotgun from the closet and handed it over to Det. Smith. This firearm was also unsecured and did not have a trigger lock on it,” Sgt. Rosengren said.
Detective Smith then advised Joshua’s parents that he and Sgt. Rosengren were going to take possession of the firearms and Joshua’s mother replied, ‘Fine, I don’t want them in this house anymore.’”
“Based on the statement by [Joshua’s mother] during our conversation that Josh couldn’t come back there, neither [Joshua’s father] nor [his mother] have an active LTC, and both firearms did not have trigger locks on them, they were seized,” Sgt. Rosengren explained. “The firearms that were held for safe keeping, are a Maverick 12-gauge pump action shotgun, a Glock 9mm handgun with holster, two magazines and two rounds.”
When Sergeant Rosengren returned to the station, he examined the firearms further.
“At this time, I learned that one of the magazines belonged to a Glock 380 caliber firearm, not the Glock 9mm,” Sgt. Rosengren said. “I also examined the serial numbers on the Glock handgun and learned that the serial number on the lower half of the firearm, BZCH124 was not the same serial number that was stamped on the slide of the firearm. The serial number on the slide was BXYP083.”
Sergeant Rosengren said that he then had dispatch perform a firearm record check for the firearms registered to Joshua.
“Josh has a total of five firearms registered to him: a Glock 9mm handgun bearing serial number BWYS107, a Smith and Wesson 38 caliber handgun bearing serial #DNV1686, a Glock 380 caliber handgun bearing serial number ACUX471, a Glock 9mm bearing serial number BZCH124, and a Maverick 12-gauge shotgun bearing serial number MV1125826,” Sgt. Rosengren said. Adding, “I also had dispatch conduct a query for the serial number that is attached to the slide on the firearm (BXYP083) and this serial number did not return any owner results.”
Sgt. Rosengren said he entered the following into evidence:
- Maverick 12-gauge shotgun
- 380 caliber magazine containing eight hollow point rounds
- 9mm magazine containing 10 hollow point rounds
- Two loose 9mm hollow point rounds
- Glock 9mm firearm bearing two serial number BZCH124 and BXYP083 and a holster for said firearm
“Det. Smith contacted Athol Police Chief Craig Lundgren to inform him of the incident as he is the licensing authority for Josh’s LTC. Chief Lundgren suspended Josh’s LTC and said notice was faxed to this department for service,” Sgt. Rosengren said. “[Joshua’s mother] also went to the Winchendon District Court and applied for an involuntary commitment under Chapter 123 Section 35 on Josh. Said Warrant of Apprehension was approved and sent to this department for service.”
Sgt. Rosengren issued a summons for Joshua Paradis’ for the following charges:
- Improper Storage of a Firearm (two counts)
Paradis’ arraignment was scheduled for July 21, 2025 in Winchendon District Court.
Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story took place in June, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. FOIAs are time-consuming.
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