By: Richard L. Smith
Two suspects, including a Paterson teenager, have been arrested in connection with a March carjacking incident in Lodi that left a victim clinging to the hood of his own vehicle as the suspects attempted to flee, officials said.
According to information released by the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, 18-year-old Davon White of Paterson and a 17-year-old juvenile from Passaic County now face multiple charges following a joint investigation by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and Lodi Police Department.
Authorities said the incident happened around 10:00 p.m. on March 12, when a vehicle was stolen from outside a commercial business along Route 46 West.
Witnesses alerted the vehicle’s owner, who ran outside and jumped on the hood as the suspects drove off.
Despite his efforts to stop them, the suspects sped away when the traffic light turned green, causing the victim to fall from the vehicle before it fled the area.
Over the course of three months, detectives from Bergen County, with support from Paterson police, identified White and the juvenile as the individuals involved.
The stolen car was eventually recovered.
The juvenile suspect was taken into custody on June 6 and charged with first-degree carjacking, second-degree robbery, and third-degree theft.
He is currently held in a juvenile detention facility awaiting court proceedings.
White, who was already in the Bergen County Jail on unrelated charges, was subsequently served with charges including first-degree carjacking, use of a juvenile to commit a crime, second-degree robbery, third-degree theft, and altering a motor vehicle.
Both suspects remain in custody as the investigation continues.