Fugitive Would-Be Carjacker Arrested In Batavia On Warrant: Police

OAK LAWN, IL — A Chicago man, sought in a nationwide warrant on suspicion of an attempted carjacking in Oak Lawn, was arrested Tuesday in Batavia, police said. Jerome Fears Jr., 20, was charged with attempted vehicular hijacking, and an additional charged of attempted possession of a stolen vehicle stemming from an Addison police investigation.

Fears is one of four suspects said to be involved in an attempted carjacking in the early morning hours of April 18. Police said a group of men fired shots at an Oak Lawn home when they tried to steal a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The four fled in a Mercedes SUV at a high rate of speed when it crashed moments later into a tree. The men exited and tried to carjack a vehicle driven by a woman with a young child, police said.

>>> Nationwide Warrant Issued For Suspect In Attempted Oak Lawn Carjacking

According to police, Fears pointed a gun at the woman while one of his accomplices tried to open the passenger-side car door, but the women was able to speed away unharmed.

Oak Lawn police obtained an arrest warrant for Fears last month. He was taken into custody at the residence of a female acquaintance in the 1600 block of Carlstedt Drive, Batavia. Addison police investigators were able to confirm Fears was inside the home and secured a search warrant for the address.

>>> Would-Be Thieves Fire Shots At Resident, Try To Carjack Young Mom

With the assistance of the Addison and Batavia police, along with members of the Northern Illinois Police Alarm System SWAT team, Fears was arrested without incident on Oak Lawn’s active warrant, police said.

Fears was taken to the Addison police station, where he was processed on the warrant and the additional charge of attempted possession of a stolen vehicle. He would later be transported to the DuPage County Courthouse for a bond hearing on charges stemming from the Addison police investigation, where bail was set at $500,000. Fears is also being held on a $250,000 bond issued in Cook County on the Oak Lawn charges. Fears has a Nov. 18 return date pending indictment at the Bridgeview Courthouse.

The incident occurred in Tr. Paul Mallo’s 3rd District, who said he was thankful for the “outstanding police work” from Oak Lawn police and west suburban police departments.

“The Oak Lawn police will not rest when it comes to protecting the safety of our citizens and this is just one instance of that,” Mallo said. “I along with the village board and residents in Oak Lawn support the Oak Lawn Police Department.”

Oak Lawn police say they have also identified two other suspects in April’s attempted carjacking and are hoping to bring additional charges.