Montco Man Carjacked and Kidnapped, Elderly Man Stalked and Attacked, and Sgt. Fitzgerald Slain

The Tri-state area crime crisis

Police carPhoto byMatt PopovichonUnsplash

I normally don’t write about crime because it’s scary and depressing and I love living and working in my community. However, the increase in violent crimes in the Philadelphia Tri-State Area is getting out of control. I’m making a point to say Tri-State area versus just Philadelphia because Trenton and Wilmington have had a recent uptick and sadly Sgt. Fitzgerald’s senseless and brutal murder involved a Bucks County man who was stealing a car.

Just when you thought things couldn’t get crazier Fox News says the police are asking for help solving two heartless and heartbreaking crimes:

- An elderly man is now in critical condition after being punched into a wall (from behind) and robbed by two males.

- Then, they shared the harrowing story about a man who was carjacked and kidnapped from Montgomery County and jumped out of his stolen car in North Philly after being taken to various ATM machines to withdraw money.

The attackers got away in both cases.

Reports say that the man that was kidnapped suffered moderate injuries. My heart goes out to the families and communities that have been directly impacted by these violent crimes. Sadly these stories confirm that crime happens everywhere — not just in Philly. The Montgomery County incident was shocking, but unfortunately far too many people in less affluent areas are experiencing the same menacing behavior.

Armed robberies and violent attacks have been increasing at an alarming rate. Now to hear that this man came home to someone in his driveway posing as a solar panel salesman who ends up kidnapping him in his own car and driving him from his home to take money from various ATM machines is mind-blowing.

There are countless reports and programs to help Philadelphia youth, but violent crimes like armed robberies, shootings, road rage incidents, and bullying are big problems across the country.

The man who chased me and tried to cut me off a block from City Hall in Center City was an enraged, highly aggressive, and full-grown tan man. The guy was screaming and threatening me until I pulled over beside a police car. The police glanced over as he sped off and escaped on the Vine Street expressway. It was terrifying. I thought he was going to shoot me. This isn’t an isolated incident — many of my friends have had similar experiences.

The lack of respect and compassion for our fellow man is apparent in how we treat each other. We can’t keep pointing the finger at other people. Something is very wrong.

What is going on with people who feel it’s perfectly OK to chase down, threaten, stalk, rob, steal, and hurt other people?

Some of this is a socioeconomic problem, but the Bucks County man seemed to have come from a financially secure family so how do you explain that young man coming to Philly and carjacking? I wonder if some of these crimes are out of necessity or is this a game.

I’ve worked with a lot of adjudicated youth over the last 25 years, and I’ve never seen anything like this. This is something different — the COVID quarantine changed a lot of things including people’s coping skills and patience levels.

The whole tri-state area needs to come together because this isn’t just a safety issue — this is a physical and mental health crisis and quality of life issue. Who can live in peace when they are in constant fear?

One of the Montco women said she just realized that nowhere was safe. Sadly, far too many people have known this all along. I pray that all the victims have a speedy recovery.

I hope that the Tri-State area can come together to find solutions that not only captures the perpetrators. We need a comprehensive approach that addresses the root causes of these crimes and restores and helps heal all our communities from the trauma and pain of violence.

Thank you for reading.

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