Carjacker strikes on Nassau Street

New York woman uninjured following noontime incident.

By: Jennifer Potash
   A New York City woman was the victim of a carjacking Monday on Nassau Street near Vandeventer Avenue.
   Rosemary O’Connell, 61, of New York City parked her gray 1992 Mercury Topaz sedan on Nassau Street outside the CVS store and went inside to purchase some makeup, said Princeton Borough Lt. John Reading.
   While Ms. O’Connell sat in her unlocked car applying the makeup, at 12:31 p.m., a man in his 30s entered the car and calmly told her to stay in the car, Lt. Reading said.
   The woman, fearing the man had a weapon, jumped out of the car while he was still talking to her, Lt. Reading said. The victim did not see a weapon and was not injured after falling on her knee as she escaped, he said.
   Several pedestrians and motorists tried to prevent the man’s escape in the car, but to no avail, Lt. Reading said.
   An off-duty Trenton firefighter jumped in front of the vehicle but was knocked out of the way, Lt. Reading said. The firefighter was uninjured.
   R. William Potter, an attorney, was heading back to his Nassau Street office when he heard the victim screaming for help. He ran alongside the car up to Vandeventer Avenue, trying to flag it down. Mr. Potter said he looked to see if the man had a gun or other weapon but didn’t see one.
   A dump truck tried to cut off the fleeing car, but the driver maneuvered around the truck and continued on Nassau Street, Mr. Potter said. He last saw the car as it approached Witherspoon Street.
   From witness reports and observations from emergency medical service workers near The Medical Center at Princeton, the stolen car was last seen headed north on Witherspoon Street, Lt. Reading said. The Princeton Township Police Department also searched for the vehicle, he said.
   The thief, a white man about 6 feet tall with a medium build, wore a brown wool cap and short jacket and had what witnesses described as a goatee or scruffy face, Lt. Reading said. The car’s New York state license plate number is ALV 9609, he said.
   Lt. Reading said such crimes are very rare in the borough, which measures less than 2 square miles.
   One of the most notorious carjackings in the borough occurred during the October 1997 robbery of the Sovereign Bank on Nassau Street. Sandres "Sandy" Casiano, one of the robbers now serving a 15-year federal sentence, carjacked Lucius Wilmerding, a 91-year-old Russell Road resident, and forced him to drive up Witherspoon Street before pushing him out of the car.