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Five teenagers have been charged in the armed carjacking of U.S. Representative Mary Gay Scanlon in Philadelphia, authorities said. Police recovered her vehicle in neighboring Delaware on Wednesday night.
Scanlon, 62, was walking to her vehicle in Philadelphia’s FDR Park around 2:45 p.m. on Wednesday when two suspects approached her at gunpoint and demanded the keys to her car, authorities said. Scanlon was physically unharmed- but said the scariest moment was walking away before the suspects fled the scene, unsure if they would hurt her.
“No one should have to experience this kind of lawlessness,” Scanlon said in a call with reporters Thursday.
Scanlon said President Biden called her Thursday to check on her, and they discussed the importance of gun control measures.
Delaware State Police said they located her blue 2017 Acura MDX in Delaware several hours after the incident. Scanlon said her iPhone was in the vehicle, and she was able to track its location.
The FBI charged Josiah Brown, 19, with carjacking and the use of a firearm in the carjacking. Police identified the juvenile suspects as a 14-year-old female and three male juveniles, aged 13, 15, and 16.
The 15-year-old male was charged with receiving stolen property, resisting arrest, and two counts of criminal mischief, officials said. The other three juveniles were charged with receiving stolen property.
All five suspects are from Wilmington, Delaware.
Scanlon told reporters she and other officials have been working on gun violence prevention measures as gun violence and carjackings have skyrocketed in Philadelphia this year. Scanlon said there are crime spikes “around the country” but said Philadelphia hasn’t fared as well economically as some other big cities.
“Philadelphia, I would say, remains the greatest city in our country,” she said.
Scanlon, a Democrat, is the vice-chair of the House Administration Committee and serves on the House Judiciary Committee and House Committee on Rules. She has been in office since January 2019.
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney tweeted that he was “appalled to learn of this violent crime that was perpetrated against my friend and Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon. My thoughts are with her during what I’m sure is a traumatic time.”
