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Eric Meehan, 29, and Ashley Young, 32, both pleaded guilty on Oct. 12 to two counts each of robbery of a motor vehicle and aggravated assault and one count each of criminal conspiracy to commit robbery of a motor vehicle and attempt to commit robbery of a motor vehicle, according to the Bucks County District Attorney's Office.
Meehan also pleaded guilty to three counts of terroristic threats and one count of fleeing or attempting to elude police.
Meehan was sentenced to 10 to 30 years in state prison and Young to six and a half to 20 years in state prison, authorities said. They were both ordered to pay $7,700 in restitution.
Police were initially called to the Chandler Hall Senior Center on Barclay Street in Newtown Township on Nov. 27, 2020, authorities said.
There, Meehan and Young forcibly took a woman's car, then hit her and a male employee with it as they fled, the DA's office said.
Both victims were taken to an area hospital with multiple injuries that required surgery, authorities said.
When the couple fled, Meehan drove off a curb and damaged the stolen car, prompting him and Young to attempt to carjack a second victim on Summit Trace Road in Newtown, according to the DA's office.
The owner of that car told police he was in his running car when Meehan and Young approached and tried to open his doors, according to investigators. He was able to lock his doors and drive away.
So, Meehan and Young re-entered the damaged car and drove to the 500 block of White Swan Way in Middletown Township, where they carjacked an SUV from a 68-year-old man and physically removed him from his car, the DA's office said.
Following the man's call to police, emergency dispatchers issued an alert about the suspects and the stolen vehicle, and Bensalem Township police officers spotted the vehicle driving south on Route 1, toward Philadelphia, authorities said.
During the chase, they sped through red lights and busy intersections, drove into opposing traffic and onto a sidewalk, and nearly hit a pedestrian crossing the street at one point, according to the DA's office.
The chase came to an end in the 1600 block of Orthodox Street in Philadelphia when the pair crashed into several parked cars and an occupied vehicle, according to authorities.
The case was investigated by Newtown Township police, led by Corporal Daniel Bartle, and Middletown Township police, led by Detective David Denton, with assistance from Bensalem Township police and Philadelphia police. The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Thomas C. Gannon.
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