A Newark man today admitted his role in a carjacking in which a firearm was brandished, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Federal authorities said Jared Walker, 24, of Newark, pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Claire C. Cecchi to a three-count indictment charging him with carjacking, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
Walker remains detained pending sentencing.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On Jan. 6, 2020, the driver of a 2008 Ford E-350 van was carjacked at gunpoint in Newark. Walker approached the van, which was parked in Newark, and drove it away while the victim was still inside.
Walker brandished a firearm during the carjacking. The victim ultimately escaped from the vehicle, and Walker was apprehended a short time later.
When law enforcement recovered the gun, officers discovered that it was loaded with 13 rounds of ammunition.
In 2015, Walker was convicted of unlawful possession of a handgun in New Jersey Superior Court – a felony offense – and is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms and ammunition.
The carjacking charge carries a maximum potential sentence of 15 years in prison. The charge of possessing a firearm after having been convicted of a felony offense carries a maximum potential sentence of 10 years in prison.
The brandishing of a firearm during a crime of violence charge carries a mandatory minimum prison sentence of seven years, and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, which must run consecutively to any term of imprisonment imposed on the other charges.
Each of the charged offenses also carries a maximum potential fine of $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 14, 2021.