CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio — On one day this summer, three people were carjacked in three suburban towns in Northeast Ohio. The FBI helped track down two of the suspects, who now face serious potential jail time.
“Someone just hit me, and I got out to see who it was, and they had a gun. They said, 'Where are your keys at?' And they jumped in my car and drove it off,” a frantic carjacking victim told a 911 dispatcher. The gut-wrenching call for help was the first to police in a crime spree that spanned three counties this summer.
“This is something she is never going to forget,” said Captain Chris Norfolk with the Cuyahoga Falls Police Department.
There were three carjackings in one day this summer, all in Northeast Ohio suburbs.
“Over the last couple of years, we noticed a large uptick in carjackings in general. But what we’ve noticed is the boundaries don’t exist anymore — that they are willing to go anywhere,” said FBI Supervisory Special Agent Doug Porrini.
In one day, there were carjackings or attempted carjackings in Streetsboro, Solon, and Cuyahoga Falls.
At 11:30 a.m. in Cuyahoga Falls, a 22-year-old driver was on Third Street when she was targeted.
“I couldn’t tell you the last carjacking we had before this one. It’s a rare thing here in Cuyahoga Falls,” said Norfolk.
The FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force played a role in putting the brakes on this carjacking ring. Authorities arrested two people so far in connection with this rash of carjackings.
“In this case, in particular, the discussion was, it was for fun, to see if they could do it,” said Porrini.
But if convicted, the two alleged carjackers won’t be laughing. They could spend years behind bars.
According to federal sentencing guidelines, a carjacking is punishable by up to 15 years; if someone is hurt, up to 25 years; and if someone is killed, up to life in prison, according to Porrini. If a weapon is involved more time is tacked on.
“We want to make sure they’re aware that this life-altering, to commit a carjacking just for fun, that you may not see the street again for 20 years,” said Porrini.
In two of the three carjackings, police said the drivers' cars were bumped from behind, a tactic to get the driver out of the car.
“It’s not somebody running into you where there is potential for damage, significant damage to your car or injury to the driver or other occupants. It’s a light bump, just enough to get your attention and get you out of your car," said Norfolk.
Police recommend calling police or driving to the nearest police station instead of getting out of the car. If you are a victim, police say to turn your keys over. They will eventually find your car.
