Trenton Resident Convicted for Carjackings Causing Severe Injuries

Mercer County Man Found Guilty of Carjacking, Attempted Carjackings, and Possession of Firearm by Convicted Felon

TRENTON, NJ (MERCER) – Cedrick Hodges, a 40-year-old man from Trenton, New Jersey, has been convicted of multiple charges including carjacking, brandishing a firearm during the carjacking, two attempted carjackings resulting in serious bodily injury, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger made the announcement today.

The conviction comes after a seven-day trial before U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi in Trenton federal court, where Hodges was found guilty on October 24, 2023, of all five counts of a second superseding indictment.

According to court documents and statements presented during the trial, the incidents occurred on the evening of December 16, 2017. Hodges entered the rear passenger seat of a Toyota Camry and threatened the driver with a loaded sawed-off shotgun. He demanded that she operate the vehicle while he moved to the rear seat. The driver managed to escape, and as she fled, Hodges fired the shotgun in her direction.

Moments later, Hodges targeted a Honda Accord with a driver and a passenger. He pointed the shotgun at the driver, ordering them to exit the vehicle. When the driver refused and started driving away, Hodges fired the firearm through the driver’s side window, injuring the driver severely.

Hodges then fled the scene and approached a man who was entering a Nissan Rogue. He demanded the man hand over the keys to the vehicle, but when the man refused, Hodges fired the shotgun at him, causing significant bodily harm.

The carjacking charge carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. The two attempted carjacking charges resulting in serious bodily injury each carry a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison. Brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence is punishable by a mandatory minimum of seven years in prison, and a maximum sentence of life in prison, which must be served consecutively to any other imposed imprisonment. Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. The sentencing for Hodges has not yet been scheduled.

U.S. Attorney Sellinger acknowledged the efforts of various law enforcement agencies in the investigation leading to the guilty verdict. Special agents from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, Hamilton Township Police Department, New Jersey State Police, Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, U.S. Marshals Service, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives all contributed to the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eric Suggs and Tracey Agnew from the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division in Trenton represented the government in this trial.

This case is numbered 23-313.

Defense counsel for Hodges are Henry E. Klingeman Esq. and Ernesto Cerimele Esq. from Morristown, New Jersey.