Crime & Safety

Carjacker Wanted in Gas Station Robbery, Stabbing, Police Say

Collingswood Police believe a man wanted in connection with a carjacking Feb. 20 may also have stabbed and robbed an attendant at the Gulf station on Feb. 15.

Collingswood Police now believe the man who carjacked two women at knifepoint Feb. 20 is the same person wanted in the Feb. 15 stabbing and robbery of a Gulf gas station attendant on Route 130.

The Camden County Prosecutor's Office released a photo of the man sought in those incidents Thursday afternoon. He is described as a stocky, black male, weighing between 250 and 275 pounds and 5 feet, 7 inches to 6 feet tall.

A knife was produced in each of the incidents in which the suspect is believed to be involved.

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The man's carjacking spree began with an unsuccessful attempt Feb. 20 between 5:15 and 5:30 p.m. at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Camden. He demanded a nurse hand over her keys as she walked toward her vehicle. She refused and boarded an employee shuttle bus, and the suspect walked away.

Police believe he then hopped into the back seat of a car stopped at a traffic light at the White Horse Pike and Ferry Avenue in Camden. Brandishing a knife, the suspect ordered two women in the car to drive into Collingswood. Meanwhile, the Lourdes security staff had followed the man to Collingswood.

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Once in Collingswood, the suspect fled the carjacked vehicle and tried to slash the security car's tires, police said. Then he spotted a GMC Envoy on Pacific Avenue. The owners were taking their 2-year-old from the vehicle, but had left it running. The suspect got into the car and drove away, eluding the Lourdes security guards.

The Envoy was recovered about 10 a.m. Feb. 21 at 27th and Mickle streets in Camden City, but the suspect is still at large.

Police further confirmed that the same man wanted in the Collingswood incidents is no longer thought to be involved with the Feb. 20 robbery of a Delran gas station, as had been previously reported.

The proximity of those acts to one another initially led investigators to believe they were connected, as did the fact that a silver (or gold) GMC Envoy was reportedly used in both. But when the Envoy stolen from the couple in Collingswood was recovered in Camden City, its license plate did not match that obtained from the scene of the Delran robbery. 

Neither do Collingswood police believe that 34-year-old Zedrick T. Johnson of Willingboro—wanted in the murder of a Lukoil gas station attendant during a Feb. 11 Willingboro robbery, a Feb. 12 armed robbery in Willingboro and the Feb. 20 gas station armed robbery in Delran—is related to the slew of incidents Wednesday evening in Collingswood and Camden.

Some reports had linked Johnson to those acts because he fits the description of the suspect in the carjacking cases, but authorities now believe they're looking for someone else.

Anyone with any information on the whereabouts of the suspect seen in the attached photo and video is asked to contact Collingswood Det. Sgt. Guy DeRitis at 856-854-2401 x102.

For our related coverage, see also:

  • Knife-Wielding Carjacker Draws Police from Three Towns [UPDATED]

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