BENSALEM, Pa. — Two teenagers, including a 15-year-old charged as an adult, are in custody after an armed carjacking and subsequent vehicle theft spree in Bensalem that authorities say is connected to residents of the St. Francis Home for Children.
Police say the crime spree began early Monday morning, December 2, when a woman returning to her home on Oak Court was confronted in her parked car by a masked male armed with a handgun. The suspect demanded her phone, ordered her out of her white Honda Pilot, and fled with a male accomplice. The stolen vehicle was later found abandoned nearby.
The following morning, on December 3, police responded to another vehicle theft in progress at Magnolia Court. Officers attempted to intercept the stolen Toyota Rav 4 but were rammed by the vehicle’s driver, who then led police on a chase. The passenger, later identified as 18-year-old Tharyn Battis Jr., fled on foot near Byberry and Knights Roads, where police apprehended him at gunpoint after recovering a stolen Glock 9 mm handgun, along with other items, in the wooded area.
Investigators determined that Battis, a resident of the St. Francis Home for Children, and 15-year-old Daniel Rosa, of Bensalem, were responsible for the earlier carjacking. Rosa was later arrested at his residence.
Both teens face charges of robbery, motor vehicle theft, firearms offenses, and related crimes. Rosa, charged as an adult, was remanded to the Bucks County Youth Center on 10% of $5 million bail, while Battis was sent to the Bucks County Correctional Facility on 10% of $3 million bail.
Authorities report ongoing issues with residents from the St. Francis Home, noting a recent spike in vehicle thefts and break-ins in nearby neighborhoods. “The staff has little or no control over them,” police said, adding that several residents went missing from the facility just hours before the first carjacking.
The investigation remains active as police urge residents to remain alert and report suspicious activity.