A violent carjacking in the Bronx has left a man fighting for his life and without a leg, in an incident that underscores the surge in vehicular crimes in the area. According to a report from ABC7NY, the 32-year-old victim, a baggage handler at John F. Kennedy International Airport, had just finished his shift and stopped to pick up Chinese food when an assailant hijacked his 2017 Infiniti Q50, leading to a tragic set of events that saw him being dragged and ultimately injured severely enough to require an amputation.
The Bronx community, particularly those in Pelham Bay, were shocked to learn about the crime. "This neighborhood's always been safe, friendly," Jack Anello, a local business owner, told Bronx News 12. The crime happened just steps away from his family's restaurant. The victim attempted to prevent the theft of his vehicle, which was left idling outside the eatery, by grabbing onto the door as the car was driven away. This action tragically led to him being sideswiped by a parked car, as reported by ABC7NY, and then left critically injured on the street.
Detectives found the stolen Infiniti abandoned along the Hutchinson River Parkway, with damage to the driver's side from the collision. The victim suffered head trauma and had his left leg amputated as a result. As per the same ABC7NY report, he was in critical condition at Jacobi Hospital. Meanwhile, the Bronx community has been grappling with a 3.6% increase in car thefts this year—even as the city has experienced a 12% decrease in such crimes.
Residents like Angel Rojas, who works nearby, are shocked by the brutality of the crime. "You come out your car, you leave your car, you don’t expect somebody to just go in and just take it like that," Rojas expressed in an interview with Bronx News 12. The suspect involved in the carjacking remains at large, described as last seen wearing a grey hoodie, green shorts, and white sneakers.
