Carjacking in Port Reading Sends Victim to the Hospital

It was a busy day for police in Port Reading Wednesday.

, a woman walked in on a burglary in her Third Avenue home Wednesday morning, and the suspect was collared a short time later.
Wednesday evening, a carjacking took place at the corner of Marian and Spruce Streets in Port Reading.

"It appears that it's not a random hijacking," said Captain Roy Hoppock.  "There were conflicting stories with the two victims that we're investigating."

The victims, a 33-year-old male and a 23-year-old female, were carjacked late Wednesday evening. The male was hit on the head with a hammer by their assailant, wounds that landed him in the hospital.

According to Hoppock, it appears the victims may have known their assailant, who remains at large.

"It looks like it was not random.  We want the public to know that they don't have to look over their shoulders because somebody is out there carjacking," said Hoppock.  "We believe it wasn't random."

The car was found on Holly Street in Port Reading, a block from the scene of the carjacking, by Carteret police who were in the area.

The male victim was taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital with superficial wounds caused by the hammer attack. The female victim was uninjured.

Follow Woodbridge Patch on Facebook, Twitter and sign up for the daily newsletter.