Man charged in December carjacking at gunpoint in Montclair, NJ

MONTCLAIR — The U.S. Attorney's Office in Newark has charged a resident of that city for his alleged role in a brazen, armed carjacking of a woman in her own driveway.

According to a complaint filed in the case, Andy Cook, 23, and an accomplice approached a 2021 Porsche Cayenne parked in a Montclair driveway on the evening of Dec. 6, 2021.

In the encounter captured by surveillance camera, the accomplice aimed a gun at the woman in the driver's seat, ordering her to exit the vehicle and leave her belongings inside. Cook is then alleged to have entered the car and drove it away.

Get our free mobile app

The accomplice fled on foot. A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office confirmed to New Jersey 101.5 that that person is still at large.

After Cook took off in the car, the victim contacted police, who located the vehicle and followed it onto Route 280 in Orange, according to the complaint.

Cook was then alleged to have left the Porsche in the middle of the highway and fled on foot toward an exit ramp in Newark, where police reported finding him hiding in a residential building on Second Street. He was found to be in possession of the key to the stolen vehicle.

The complaint charges Cook with one count each of carjacking, conspiracy to commit carjacking, and conspiracy to use a firearm during a crime of violence. The latter and most serious of the charges carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

A court appearance by videoconference is scheduled for Monday afternoon.

Patrick Lavery is a reporter and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at patrick.lavery@townsquaremedia.com

Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story.

2022 Seaside Heights Polar Bear Plunge photos

More than 6,000 people took the plunge into the Atlantic Ocean on Feb. 26, 2022 to raise more than $2 million for the Special Olympics New Jersey.

New Jersey's new legislative districts for the 2020s

Boundaries for the 40 legislative districts for the Senate and Assembly elections of 2023 through 2029, and perhaps 2031, were approved in a bipartisan vote of the Apportionment Commission on Feb. 18, 2022. The map continues to favor Democrats, though Republicans say it gives them a chance to win the majority.

Best coffee shops & cafes near NJ beaches

When it comes to food, New Jersey is known for many things such as pizza and pork roll. Don't count us out when it comes to coffee.

With all the hustle and bustle involved in the average New Jersey resident's day, coffee is essential. It doesn't matter whether you're living in the cities of North Jersey or the vacation spots at the shore.

In fact, as the former owner of two Jersey shore coffee houses, Coffee Dot Comedy in Sea Isle City and the Daily Grind in Ocean Grove, I know firsthand how much people at the Jersey shore love their coffee.

With respect to that, I asked my social media following where the best coffee houses at the Jersey Shore were, especially since my two places no longer exist.

Below is what they came up with. (And see this other article for their coffee shop and cafe recommendations for Central Jersey.)