NEWARK, N.J. – An Essex County, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 108 months in prison for his role in a carjacking in which a firearm was brandished, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Jared Walker, 24, of Newark, previously 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.
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.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Cecchi sentenced Walker to four years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge George M. Crouch in Newark, and officers of the Newark Police Department, under the direction of Public Safety Director Brian O’Hara, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Samantha C. Fasanello of the Violent Crimes Unit.