BLOOMFIELD, NJ – A Bloomfield man has been convicted of first-degree carjacking, attempted murder and other weapons charges for a brutal 2019 attack and carjacking of a Lyft driver in Clark,
After a four-week trial before Union County Superior Court Judge Thomas K. Isenhour, Farrakhan Howard, 30, of Bloomfield, was found guilty on Wednesday of first-degree carjacking, first-degree attempted murder, second-degree aggravated assault, third-degree aggravated assault, third-degree unlawful possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon. The jury deliberated for approximately 8 hours before returning its verdict.
The Union County Prosecutor’s Office noted the jury deliberated for approximately 8 hours before returning its verdict.
In the early hours of Wednesday, April 24, 2019, Clark Police Department patrol units responded to the area of Westfield Avenue around 1 a.m. and found a 47-year-old man bleeding from stab wounds and cuts to his head, face, and neck, according to Assistant Prosecutors Izabella Wozniak and Alex Pecora
Within minutes, officers from the Rahway Police Department discovered a 20-year-old woman suffering from stab wounds to her head and scratches to her neck, Wozniak and Pecora noted.
Based on the testimony presented during the trial, Howard was riding in the male victim’s Lyft vehicle with the female passenger. The female victim was assaulted and stabbed by Howard during the trip. When the Lyft driver stopped the vehicle to assist the female, Howard stabbed him several times before carjacking it. Before Clark and Rahway officers were able to locate the victims, both victims escaped. In Woodbridge, Howard crashed the victim’s vehicle and was arrested and charged.