Two Armed Carjackers Now Will Face State And Federal Charges
by Alex Lloyd Gross
February 25,2022
Two alleged carjackers who tried to steal a ride share vehicle near the Philadelphia Zoo will face federal charges, in addition to state charges for their crime, US Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams said. The federal charges are in addition to state charges and any jail time given will be served separately.
On January 3, 2022 Alex Fernandez-Pena & Juan Jose Fernandez, both of Philadelphia were in a Honda Accord on North 40th Street, when they are accused of tapping the rear bumper of a Lyft vehicle, an Infiniti G37, that had a passenger in the rear. When the driver exited his vehicle, he was accosted by Pena, who pointed a 12 gauge shotgun at him. The passenger saw this and escaped through the rear door. The victim, who had a permit to carry a gun then shot both of his attackers, before they drive away . Fernandez threatened to run the victim over with the Honda, before he was shot, police said.
Philadelphia officers found the two males a short distance away and arrested them. The face state charges of robbery and weapons offenses. It was announced late yesterday, February 24, 2022 that they will both face federal charges in this matter.
“As we have said many times since launching the #AllHandsOnDeck initiative, our Office and our federal partners are doing everything we can to support the Philadelphia Police Department and prosecute cases federally when appropriate,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “Here, the defendants allegedly committed a brazen carjacking at gunpoint in the middle of the afternoon in busy neighborhood; an offense that certainly meets the criteria for federal indictment. We are committed to bringing the full might of the federal justice system to this battle.