PHILADELPHIA, PA — United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Zamer Williams, 19, of Camden, New Jersey, pleaded guilty to two counts of carjacking and one count of carrying, using, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. The plea was entered before Chief Judge Mitchell S. Goldberg of the United States District Court on Tuesday, December 17, 2024.
The charges stem from two carjacking incidents in South Philadelphia in November 2023. According to court documents and the superseding indictment filed in April 2024, Williams and an accomplice committed the first carjacking on November 11, 2023. Around 9 p.m., they approached an Uber driver outside the Ikea on Columbus Boulevard. The driver, who had stepped out of his 2016 Mazda CX-5 to pick up a passenger, was confronted by Williams and his accomplice at gunpoint. Forced to surrender his car keys, the victim watched as the two individuals fled the scene in his vehicle. He immediately called 911, using a phone borrowed from an Ikea employee.
Two days later, on November 13, 2023, Williams struck again at a Wawa, also located on Columbus Boulevard. The second victim had left her 2016 Ford Fusion SE running while she entered the store. Upon noticing Williams taking the driver’s seat, she rushed outside and confronted him. Despite her efforts to stop him, Williams drove off in her vehicle, dragging the victim as she clung to the driver’s side door. After being pulled for approximately nine to ten feet, she released her grip, and Williams made his escape.
Williams was charged in connection with these crimes in April 2024 and entered his guilty plea as part of ongoing judicial proceedings. The firearm charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years, while the total penalties could result in a life sentence. Sentencing is scheduled for March 25, 2025.
The case reflects coordinated investigative efforts by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Philadelphia Police Department. The prosecution is being carried out by Assistant United States Attorneys Kwambina I. Coker and Robert E. Eckert.
For the latest news on everything happening in Chester County and the surrounding area, be sure to follow MyChesCo on Google News and MSN.