3 victims carjacked within 1 hour in Philadelphia; group of suspects at large

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Philadelphia police are investigating a series of gunpoint carjackings that occurred over the course of one hour on January 27.

Action News obtained surveillance video from two of the three incidents.

Justin Timko is one of the victims who was carjacked on the 3300 block of Shelmire Avenue.

"I remained pretty calm, understanding they were probably as on edge as they were making me," Timko recalled. "So, don't frighten them because the difference between us at that moment was their finger on a trigger."

In the end, the carjackers got away with Timco's SUV, along with thousands of dollars worth of personal items inside the vehicle, including his wallet.

It was a scenario that repeated two more times between 4:55 a.m. and 5:45 a.m. on January 27.

Police say the suspects carjacked a driver at a gas station on Rising Sun Avenue and another on North 5th Street while someone was filling their tires with air.

Investigators say they are pretty sure these armed carjackings were committed by the same people, and now they're working to see if these four or five men are behind any other local crimes.

"We're always looking at that possibility. We know these three are definitely the same people. It's the same getaway car. It's like a blue Honda CRV that we believe is stolen," said Philadelphia Police Capt. John Ryan.

Meanwhile, Timko says it was a few hours after the carjacking when he realized that even though he was not physically injured, he was not OK.

"After the fact, I completely shut down. The past week, I just went dark. I don't know if that's the shock portion of an experience like this. There is not exactly a 'how to' or a manual to prepare one for this."

The suspects should be considered armed and dangerous.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 215-686-TIPS.

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