Essex County Convicted Felon Admits to Armed Carjacking with an Assault Rifle, Along with Firearms and Narcotics Offenses

NEWARK, N.J. - An Essex County, New Jersey, man on June 2, 2026 admitted using an assault rifle during an armed carjacking, as well as possessing two firearms and controlled substances with the intent to distribute, U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced.

Quadir Whitehead, 32, of Newark, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo in Newark federal court to six counts of an indictment charging him with one count of carjacking, one count of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, two counts of conspiracy, one count of possession of firearms and ammunition by a convicted felon and one count of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

On August 6, 2020, Whitehead and two accomplices committed a gunpoint carjacking in Irvington, New Jersey. During the carjacking, Whitehead ordered one of the two victims to get out of a car while pointing an assault rifle at that victim. Then, Whitehead got into the car and drove away. On September 5, 2020, law enforcement officers arrested Whitehead when they saw him selling drugs in Newark. After the arrest, law enforcement found narcotics, an assault rifle, and a revolver, which Whitehead admitted were the same firearms used in the Irvington carjacking.

The conspiracy to commit carjacking offense carries a maximum potential penalty of 5 years in prison. The carjacking offense carries a maximum potential penalty of 15 years in prison. The conspiracy to use and carry a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence offense carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison. The using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence offense carries a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 7 years and a maximum potential penalty of life in prison. The possession of firearms and ammunition by a convicted felon offense carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison. The narcotics offense carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison. The conspiracy, carjacking and firearm offenses each carry a fine of up to $250,000 and the narcotics offense carries a fine of up to $1 million. Sentencing is scheduled for October 14, 2026.

U.S. Attorney Frazer credited special agents and members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy in Newark; members of the Newark Police Department, under the direction of Public Safety Director Emanuel Miranda and Chief of Police Sharonda Morris; and members of the Irvington Police Department, under the direction of Public Safety Director Tracy Bowers, with the investigation leading to the charges and guilty plea.

The investigation was conducted as part of the Newark Violent Crime Initiative (VCI). The Newark VCI was formed in August 2017 by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office, and the City of Newark's Department of Public Safety for the sole purpose of combatting violent crime in and around Newark. As part of this partnership, federal, state, county, and city agencies collaborate and pool resources to prosecute violent offenders who endanger the safety of the community. The VCI is composed of the U.S. Attorney's Office, the FBI, the ATF, the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) New Jersey Division, Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Marshals, the Newark Department of Public Safety, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office, the Essex County Sheriff's Office, New Jersey State Parole, Union County Jail, New Jersey State Police Regional Operations and Intelligence Center/Real Time Crime Center, New Jersey Department of Corrections, the East Orange Police Department, and the Irvington Police Department.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Levin, Chief of the Cybercrime Unit in Newark, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Vincent D. Romano of the National Security Unit in Newark.

The charges and allegations contained in the indictment against Elijah Lott are still pending, are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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Defense counsel: Stephen Turano, Esq.