Union County

NJ Man Gets 29 Years for Stabbing Lyft Driver, Passenger Before Carjacking

Farrakhan Howard was convicted in November in connection to the events that unfolded in 2019

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What to Know

  • A New Jersey man will spend decades in prison for the attempted murder of a Lyft driver and the assault of another passenger before carjacking the driver's vehicle in April of 2019, according to prosecutors.
  • Thirty-one-year-old Farrakhan Howard, of Bloomfield, was sentenced to 29 years: 24 years on the carjacking conviction, 18-year concurrent sentence on the attempted murder conviction, and a 5-year consecutive sentence for the aggravated assault of the passenger, Union County Prosecutor William A. Daniel announced earlier this week.
  • It was on April 24, 2019, at around 1 a.m., when Clark Police Department patrol units responded to the area of Westfield Avenue and found a 47-year-old man bleeding from stab wounds and cuts to his head, face and neck, prosecutors said. Soon after, Rahway police officers located a 20-year-old woman who was also suffering from stab wounds to her head and scratches to her neck. An investigation led to Howard.

A New Jersey man will spend decades in prison for the attempted murder of a Lyft driver and the assault of another passenger before carjacking the driver's vehicle in April of 2019, according to prosecutors.

Thirty-one-year-old Farrakhan Howard, of Bloomfield, was sentenced to 29 years: 24 years on the carjacking conviction, 18-year concurrent sentence on the attempted murder conviction, and a 5-year consecutive sentence for the aggravated assault of the passenger, Union County Prosecutor William A. Daniel announced earlier this week.

Howard must serve at least 85% of the 24-year term on the carjacking before the possibility of parole on that count, then must serve the additional 5-year term before being eligible for release.

Howard was convicted in November in connection to the events that unfolded in 2019.

It was on April 24, 2019, at around 1 a.m., when Clark Police Department patrol units responded to the area of Westfield Avenue and found a 47-year-old man bleeding from stab wounds and cuts to his head, face and neck, prosecutors said. Soon after, Rahway police officers located a 20-year-old woman who was also suffering from stab wounds to her head and scratches to her neck.

According to testimony during the trial, Howard was in the man's Lyft vehicle with the woman passenger. At some point during the trip, Howard attacked and stabbed the woman.  When the Lyft driver stopped the vehicle to help her, Howard stabbed him several times before carjacking the vehicle.

Both of Howard's victims escaped before being located by Clark and Rahway officers. 

Howard was eventually arrested and charged after crashing the vehicle he carjacked in Woodbridge.

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