TRENTON – Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal announced that a Newark man pleaded guilty today to committing a carjacking in Millburn during which he grabbed a 13-year-old girl around the neck in front of her father and threatened to kill her.
Ahmed Anthony, 30, of Newark, N.J., pleaded guilty today to first-degree carjacking and second-degree kidnapping before Superior Court Judge Ronald D. Wigler in Essex County. Under the plea agreement, the state will recommend that Anthony be sentenced to 14 years in state prison, including nearly 12 years of parole ineligibility. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 24.
Deputy Attorney General Debra Conrad, Senior Counsel of the Specialized Crimes Bureau, and Deputy Attorney General Danielle Scarduzio prosecuted Anthony for the Division of Criminal Justice, and Deputy Attorney General Conrad took the guilty plea today.
The indictment was the result of an investigation by the Millburn Police Department, the Division of Criminal Justice and the New Jersey State Police. Anthony was arrested on Jan. 11 by the New Jersey State Police Fugitive Unit, the Millburn Police Department, the U.S. Marshals Service NY/NJ Regional Task Force Newark Division and the New Jersey State Police Auto Theft Task Force. Anthony was ordered detained pending trial following his arrest.
“This defendant turned an armed carjacking into an even more terrifying experience for the targeted family by grabbing the 13-year-old daughter in a choke hold and threatening her life,” said Attorney General Grewal. “This guilty plea carries a lengthy prison sentence and reflects our resolve to protect New Jersey residents from this dangerous form of street crime.”
“It is hard to imagine the fear that the 13-year-old victim felt when Anthony grabbed her by the neck,” said Director Veronica Allende of the Division of Criminal Justice. “Justice demands a lengthy sentence without parole for this violent crime, and that is what we will recommend when the defendant is sentenced.”
“Today’s guilty plea ensures a long prison term for this violent offender who terrorized a Short Hills family,” said Chief Brian Gilfedder of the Millburn Police Department. “This was the result of a great collaborative investigation by the Millburn Police Department, Division of Criminal Justice, New Jersey State Police, and the U.S. Marshals Service.”
“No parent should have to endure the horror of having their child’s life threatened in front of them, and our hearts go out to the child who had to endure this traumatic experience,” said Colonel Patrick Callahan, Acting Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police. “I am thankful the State Police were able to provide investigative support to our partners in the Millburn Police Department.”
Anthony and two unidentified co-conspirators ambushed a family at about 1:48 a.m. on November 27, 2017, as the family returned from vacation to their home in Millburn. After the mother and an older child went into the house, the 13-year-old girl and her father were bringing luggage toward the home from their Range Rover. That is when Anthony grabbed the girl from behind in a choke hold and pulled her back toward the Range Rover. The father heard a man yell, “Give me your keys or I will kill your daughter.” He turned to see Anthony holding his daughter and a second man who approached him with what appeared to be a handgun and demanded his money and keys to the Range Rover in which the family arrived. The father handed the keys to the second man, who drove away in the Range Rover.
At that point, Anthony, while still holding the daughter, demanded that the father get the keys to a second Range Rover parked in the driveway. The father went into the house and retrieved the second set of keys. Once outside, the father turned over the keys and the daughter was released. Anthony took the girl’s suitcase and her blanket. The father and daughter went into the house, where the father retrieved a handgun and went back outside. He confronted Anthony, who was in the second Range Rover and apparently having trouble starting the vehicle. The father pointed the gun at Anthony and ordered him to get onto the ground. Anthony exited the vehicle but fled into the street on foot and was picked up in a minivan driven by the third co-conspirator.
Deputy Attorney General Conrad and Deputy Attorney General Scarduzio prosecuted Anthony under the supervision of Deputy Bureau Chief Jacqueline Smith and Assistant Attorney General Jill S. Mayer, Deputy Director of the Division of Criminal Justice.
Detective Roberto Delgado, Detective John Mendelsohn, Detective Chris Derosa and Detective Joao Rebelo investigated the case for the Millburn Police Department under the supervision of Lt. Dave Bonney. Detective Sgt. Jarek Pyrzanowski assisted with the investigation for the Division of Criminal Justice as a member of the State Police Auto Theft Task Force. Detective Sgt. Michael Van Lenten of the State Police Crime Scene Investigations Bureau assisted in the investigation. Attorney General Grewal commended all of the investigators, as well as the agencies that apprehended Anthony: the State Police Fugitive Unit, Millburn Police Department, U.S. Marshals Service NY/NJ Regional Task Force and State Police Auto Theft Task Force.
Defense Attorney:
Assistant Deputy Public Defender Dennis Freile, Essex County.
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