A New York man pleaded guilty to carjacking charges stemming from a violent series of events in Passaic County, NJ.
The suspect is a 19-year-old man from Suffern, NY. He is one of six men arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and charged with carjacking and assault in 2015.
According to federal authorities, the six culprits held up RD Benders Tavern in Hawthorne NJ on Christmas Day 2015. The men allegedly got away with $200 in cash as a result of the robbery.
The suspects later committed a carjacking in Paterson NJ. According to law enforcement officials, the suspect and his co-conspirators robbed a taxi driver, stole his cab, and then violently assaulted him. The attack reportedly involved the men using a knife to slash the cab driver s throat.
The suspect was charged with conspiracy to commit robbery, carjacking, and kidnapping.
Now the Suffern NY suspect is likely headed to a federal penitentiary after pleading guilty to the very serious criminal charges. He avoided trial by reaching a plea deal with federal prosecutors.
The suspect will still have to appear in U.S. District Court in Newark so that a judge can approve the plea agreement. He can potentially be sentenced to life imprisonment in a federal prison.
One other suspect in the robbery and carjacking has also reached a plea agreement with federal prosecutors. He is currently awaiting sentencing.
For further information about this case, check out the NJ.com article, “Man Admits Role in Bar Robbery, Taxi Driver Carjacking.”
