A Union County, New Jersey, man, Elijah Lott, 28, of Scotch Plains, admitted his role in an armed carjacking involving an assault rifle on June 23, 2026, U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced. Lott pleaded guilty in Newark federal court to three counts, including carjacking, conspiracy to commit carjacking, and conspiracy to use and carry a firearm during a crime of violence.
The incident occurred on August 6, 2020, in Irvington, New Jersey, where Lott and two accomplices committed a gunpoint carjacking. During the crime, the accomplices pointed firearms at the victims, ordering them out of their vehicle before one accomplice drove away with the car.
Lott faces significant penalties, with the conspiracy to commit carjacking offense carrying a maximum of five years in prison. The carjacking and conspiracy to use a firearm charges each carry maximum potential penalties of 20 years in prison. Sentencing for Lott is scheduled for October 21, 2026.
U.S. Attorney Frazer credited the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Newark Police Department, and Irvington Police Department for their investigation. This case was part of the Newark Violent Crime Initiative (VCI), a collaborative effort by federal, state, county, and city agencies formed in August 2017 to combat violent crime in and around Newark.