New York City police busted a packed party bus early Friday and arrested more than a dozen people after they were alerted to social media posts showing some passengers posing with firearms, police said.

The bus, loaded with 40 people for a birthday party, was stopped around 12:30 a.m. near the Brooklyn waterfront, police said. At least 14 people were taken into custody, including three juveniles, police said.

Eight loaded handguns were recovered, along with about 60 rounds of ammunition, said Assistant Chief Miguel Iglesias of the NYPD’s detective bureau.

“I couldn’t tell you why there were so many firearms. Why are there so many firearms in New York City right now?” Iglesias said, noting that officers made 486 gun arrests last month, more than in any other January on record.

Police are looking into whether some of the people arrested have gang affiliations.

An NYPD violent crimes squad intercepted the party bus after officers specializing in addressing youth crime were told of posts on Snapchat and Instagram that showed people on the bus with guns.

Police have not released the names of the people who were arrested. Charges against them are pending, police said.

(AP)