Milwaukee armed carjacking, man victim of alleged crime spree
String of Milwaukee carjackings, robberies
A Milwaukee man said he was carjacked at gunpoint – one of the latest victims of a growing crime trend in the city.
MILWAUKEE - A 71-year-old Milwaukee man said he was carjacked at gunpoint Sept. 6 – one of the latest victims of a growing crime trend in the city.
Juan Baez was outside his home near Layton and Lapham, he said, when a group approached him.
"I go and buy groceries, and I'm parking my car – these guys come running," the 71-year-old said. "Only told me, ‘Give me your keys'…No money, no wallet, only the key for the car."
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
Prosecutors believe the crime is connected to a string of carjackings and robberies from early September, and a criminal complaint lists three teenagers as the defendants in the case: Nylah Brown, Jacquan Jones and Jonathan Williams. It’s not clear who pointed the gun at Baez.
"Living here for 55 years, and I never see something like that," Baez said.
Nylah Brown, Jacquan Jones and Jonathan Williams
MPD crime data shows a steady increase in carjackings over the past two years. So far this year, there have been more than 320 carjackings – a roughly 35% increase compared to this time in 2021.
"We saw it with the Kia-Hyundai uptick in stealing those cars and all that nonsense," said MPD Assistant Chief Nicole Waldner. "Groups of juveniles have looked to other things to do, and now this is it."
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX6 News app for iOS or Android.
In a recent interview, Waldner said police have to direct resources to get kids into a different lifestyle "so this doesn’t become our norm."
"I think there are a lot of good kids that do go to school every day," she said. "Unfortunately, our focus gets turned to those that have chosen to be part of these crews that insist on invading people’s rights and privacy and sense of security."
Juan Baez
It’s not just young people doing this. Prosecutors recently charged a 34-year-old man for carjacking a Rufus King High School tennis coach.
While police work to tackle the problem, Baez hopes sharing his story can help stop the ongoing issue.
The three teenagers charged in the carjacking spree will appear in court next week.