Newark New Jersey police recently arrested a man who allegedly committed a carjacking on a city street.
The theft crime reportedly occurred around 1:00 p.m. According to law enforcement, the suspect initially attempted to steal the vehicle while the car’s owner was inside a local store. Before entering the store, the victim parked her vehicle, a Ford Crown Victoria, near the intersection of Mount Prospect Avenue and Verona Avenue in Newark, NJ.
When the woman exited the store and returned to her vehicle, she reportedly saw the suspect sitting behind the wheel of her car. The woman, a 43-year-old Newark resident, opened the front driver’s side door and began to confront the suspect. However, the suspect allegedly hit the gas pedal and sped off. The movement of the car caused the victim to fall to the pavement.
The vehicle owner called the Newark Police Department and alerted them to the carjacking incident. Newark patrol officers later found the stolen vehicle parked around the intersection of Branch Brook Place and Montclair Avenue.
Newark NJ detectives investigated the auto theft and eventually identified the suspect as the likely culprit. When the suspect came to Newark police headquarters for questioning, he was placed under arrest.
The suspect is a 47-year-old man who lives in Newark, NJ. He has been charged with multiple criminal offenses, including carjacking.
If the suspect is convicted on the carjacking charges, he could face severe penalties. As set forth by N.J.S.A. 2C:15-2, carjacking is a special kind of first degree felony that carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in New Jersey State Prison.
To learn more about this case, read the NJ.com article, “Woman Returns from Store, Finds Carjacker in Seat, Cops Say.”