CRIME
NJ Mayor Calls For Tougher Juvenile Sentencing After Video Shows Man Fighting Off 3 Carjackers
Edison Police Department
Surveillance video captured a man fighting off three carjackers attempting to steal his Bentley SUV in the parking lot of a New Jersey grocery store his father owns.
The attempted carjacking took place on Friday at the Patel Brothers grocery store on Oak Tree Road in Edison. Video shows three seemingly young carjackers attempting to wrestle the driver out of his orange Bentley Bentayga as soon as he opens his door after parking.
The would-be thieves can be seen striking the driver multiple times before one of them pulls him out by his leg.
The driver got away, running inside his family’s store to call police. He still had the key fob in his pocket, thwarting the suspects’ ability to steal his ride.
The victim’s father, Kaushik Patel, told ABC7 the incident scared him
When I saw the video I was scared, what happened, but then I called and my son said, ‘I’m safe dad, don’t worry, everything is good, just minor scratches,’ Patel told the outlet.
Patel’s son was also the victim of a previous carjacking, when thieves got away with his Mercedes G-Class SUV, per reports.
Edison Mayor Sam Joshi is calling for laws to be changed around the charging of juveniles, who are often recruited by organized crime rings to steal cars because they face reduced penalties.
The unfortunate reality is that juveniles from New Jersey as well as out-of-state are perpetrating crimes without facing proper consequences. I firmly advocate for treating individuals who commit serious offenses such as home invasions, burglaries, or carjacking’s to the extent possible as adults within our justice system, Joshi wrote on Facebook.
Moreover, jurisdictional accountability is crucial and offenders should be tried in the county where the crime occurred, rather than in their home counties where the victims are burdened and required to travel perhaps hours to face their assailants, Joshi said.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Joshi decried laws that allow criminals back out on the streets the same week they commit the crime.
He said that he has taken some measures, including opening a police substation on Oak Tree Road, and deploying more than 80 license plate readers throughout the city.
We are calling upon state leadership to change their laws to allow prosecutors to impose longer criminal sentences for juveniles, detain persistent repeaters pending trial, and allow greater discretion for bail sentencing, Joshi said.
TMX contributed to this article.
