TRENTON – A New York man has been charged with an alleged armed carjacking committed in South Brunswick in 2021, according to U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger.
Jashawn Robinson, 21, of Queens, N.Y., is charged by complaint with one count of carjacking and one count of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. The charges were announced through a press release by the U.S. Attorney District of New Jersey on Sept. 16.
Robinson will appear for his initial appearance at a later date.
According to the documents filed in this case:
On Aug. 29, 2021, at approximately 11:15 a.m., as two victims – a man and a woman – approached their vehicle parked in a motel parking lot to leave, Robinson allegedly ran up behind one of them, pointed a gun directly at the woman, and forcefully pulled her away from the vehicle. Robinson fired one round of ammunition from his gun into the air. Robinson then pointed his gun at the second victim, who had his hands in the air and was backing away from the vehicle. Robinson then entered the vehicle and drove away. The carjacking, including Robinson’s discharge of the firearm, was captured on video surveillance.
On Sept. 27, 2021, law enforcement officers located the carjacked vehicle parked on a residential street in Queens and established surveillance. The officers observed Robinson approach and enter the vehicle. As law enforcement officers converged and surrounded the vehicle, Robinson allegedly tried to get away repeatedly, including hitting parked cars and almost hitting law enforcement personnel. Robinson was removed from the vehicle and apprehended.
The count of carjacking carries a maximum potential penalty of 15 years in prison. The count of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence is punishable by a mandatory minimum term of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison, which must run consecutively to any term of imprisonment imposed on any other charge. Both charges each carry a potential fine of up to $250,000, according to the press release.
Sellinger credited special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Newark Field Division, Trenton Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey L. Matthews; and the South Brunswick Police Department, under the direction of Chief Raymond J. Hayducka, with the investigation leading to the charges. He also thanked the U.S. Marshals Service, the New York City Police Department, the Queens County District Attorney’s Office, and the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office for their assistance with the case.