The men who carjacked an off-duty NYPD sergeant last week in Harlem were caught on multiple surveillance cameras, helping cops capture them after ditched the vehicle and fled on foot, authorities said Tuesday.
Jose Rivera, 20, and Jomar Crespo, 21, carjacked the officer’s personal white BMW at gunpoint around 11:30 p.m. on June 15 at W. 146th St. and Bradhurst Ave. Responding cops used an iPad in the sergeant’s car to locate it at Broadway and W. 138th St., sources said. By the time police arrived, the car had been abandoned and the perpetrators had scrambled.
In a dramatic foot chase on 135th St., officers pursued Rivera and Crespo with the help of surveillance camera footage. Rivera, slightly ahead of Crespo, threw a loaded Glock .40-caliber pistol with an automatic switch into a fenced area.
Moments later, Crespo tossed a loaded Glock 9-mm. pistol with an extended magazine under a parked car. He was caught and both firearms were recovered by responding officers.
“Armed with a machine gun and semi-automatic handgun, both with extended magazines, the defendants committed a brazen and terrifying act of violence against a member of law enforcement when they stole his car at gunpoint,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement.
Authorities said the duo approached the victim’s car from behind, brandishing handguns on both the driver’s and passenger’s sides, and demanded the keys.
If convicted, Rivera and Crespo, both of Connecticut, face up to 15 years in prison for carjacking and a mandatory minimum of 30 years to life for using and carrying firearms during the carjacking. They also face up to 10 years for possessing a machine gun.
