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The 42-year-old victim from Hackensack told responding officers that he was assaulted and his 2012 Toyota Corolla taken around 9:45 a.m. on Labor Day, Sept. 4, said Hackensack Police Capt. Michael Antista, the officer in charge of the department.
The victim refused treatment for minor injuries, the captain said.
Meanwhile, a witness pursued the vehicle into Teaneck before losing it, he said.
Detective Demetrius Carroll and Det. Sgt. Luis Dominguez retrieved video surveillance from the surrounding area and captured images of the carjacker that were distributed to area law enforcement, the captain said.
Maywood Police Officer Chris Melber identified the robber from an encounter he’d had with him on Sunday, Antista said.
City detectives on Tuesday found the victim’s vehicle near the last known address of Mohamed Abdelwahed, 36, in the Avenel section of Woodbridge in Middlesex County, the captain said.
Members of the Hackensack Police Emergency Services Unit seized the unemployed Abdelwahed without incident with help from their Woodbridge colleagues, he said.
He remained held Wednesday in the Bergen County Jail, charged with first-degree carjacking and with theft.
“This was a great example of phenomenal teamwork and partnership among several law enforcement agencies to quickly identify and apprehend this offender before he continued on his crime spree," Hackensack Police Director Ray Guidetti said.
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