By: Richard L. Smith
A Newark man has admitted to his role in an armed carjacking in Irvington and to possessing firearms and illegal narcotics with the intent to distribute, according to a statement released by U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer.
Federal prosecutors said Quadir Whitehead, 32, pleaded guilty on June 2 before U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo in Newark federal court to six counts stemming from a 2020 carjacking and subsequent weapons and drug investigation.
According to court documents and statements made during the proceedings, Whitehead and two accomplices carried out a gunpoint carjacking in Irvington on August 6, 2020.
Authorities said Whitehead pointed an assault-style rifle at one of two victims and ordered the individual out of a vehicle before taking control of the car and driving away.
About a month later, on September 5, 2020, law enforcement officers arrested Whitehead after allegedly observing him selling narcotics in Newark.
During the investigation, authorities recovered an assault rifle, a revolver, and controlled dangerous substances.
Prosecutors said Whitehead admitted the firearms recovered were the same weapons used during the Irvington carjacking.
Whitehead pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit carjacking, carjacking, conspiracy to use and carry a firearm during a crime of violence, using and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, possession of firearms and ammunition by a convicted felon, and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.
The charges carry significant penalties, including a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in prison for the firearm offense involving the brandishing of a weapon during a violent crime.
Several of the offenses also carry potential fines ranging from $250,000 to $1 million.
Sentencing is scheduled for October 14, 2026, in Newark federal court.