By: Richard L. Smith
A Union County man has admitted his role in a violent armed carjacking that took place in Irvington, federal prosecutors announced.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, 28-year-old Elijah Lott of Scotch Plains pleaded guilty on June 23 in Newark federal court to conspiracy to commit carjacking, carjacking, and conspiracy to use and carry a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
Federal authorities said the charges stem from an August 6, 2020, incident in Irvington, where Lott and two accomplices carried out a gunpoint carjacking using an assault rifle.
During the robbery, the accomplices allegedly pointed firearms at the victims and ordered them out of their vehicle before one of the suspects drove away in the stolen car.
The conspiracy to commit carjacking charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
The carjacking charge and the conspiracy to use and carry a firearm during a crime of violence charge each carry maximum potential penalties of 20 years in federal prison.
Lott is scheduled to be sentenced on October 21, 2026.