Newark Man Sentenced to Over 10 Years for Armed Carjacking

Quadir Whitehead, a 32-year-old resident of Newark, New Jersey, has been sentenced to 124 months in prison for his involvement in an armed carjacking and related firearms and narcotics offenses. The sentencing was announced by U. S.

Attorney Robert Frazer and took place in Newark federal court, presided over by U. S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo.

Whitehead had previously pled guilty to six counts of an indictment, which included charges of carjacking, using and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, conspiracy, possession of firearms and ammunition by a convicted felon, and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.

Armed Carjacking Incident

The charges stem from an incident on August 6, 2020, when Whitehead, along with two accomplices, executed a carjacking at gunpoint in Irvington, New Jersey. During the incident, Whitehead pointed an assault rifle at one of the victims, ordered them out of the vehicle, and then drove away in the stolen car.

A month later, on September 5, 2020, Whitehead was apprehended by law enforcement officers in Newark while he was engaged in narcotics activity. Upon his arrest, officers recovered a distribution quantity of narcotics, an assault rifle, and a revolver. Whitehead admitted that these firearms were the same ones used during the carjacking.

Law Enforcement Collaboration

The investigation into Whitehead's activities was part of the Newark Violent Crime Initiative (VCI), a collaborative effort formed in August 2017 to combat violent crime in and around Newark. The VCI includes federal, state, county, and city agencies working together to prosecute violent offenders. The investigation was credited to special agents and members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Newark Police Department, and the Irvington Police Department.

In addition to his prison sentence, Whitehead will serve five years of supervised release following his incarceration. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U. S.

Attorneys Benjamin Levin and Vincent D. Romano in Newark.

The Newark VCI is composed of multiple agencies, including the U. S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI, the ATF, the DEA’s New Jersey Division, Homeland Security Investigations, the U.

S. Marshals, and various local law enforcement departments. This initiative underscores the importance of inter-agency cooperation in addressing and reducing violent crime in the community.