Police identify 2 suspects wanted in carjacking of 78-year-old woman
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Police have identified two suspects wanted for the carjacking of a 78-year-old woman in South Philadelphia last week.
Briana Cruz-Gordon, 18, and Taniya Watson, 17, are believed to be homeless at this time, police say.
Cruz-Gordon is described as 5'3" tall, weighing 150 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.
Watson is described as 5'5" tall, weighing 185 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.
Anyone with information on their whereabouts is asked to contact Philadelphia police.
SEE ALSO: Cancer-stricken woman preyed on by three brazen carjackers
The cancer-stricken victim talked to Action News about the terrifying ordeal.
"I just felt like I was going to die," Angelina Bellissima told Action News Wednesday, just hours after police released videos of three women wanted in the attack.
Bellissima said she had just parked her car on the 2700 block of South Smedley Street near Oregon Avenue around 4:20 p.m. on January 27.
She and her daughter Angela Palumbo began unloading groceries from her now-stolen car when she found herself targeted.
"I just feel them come back, like hit me from the back and I feel this pepper spray in my face," Bellissima said. "They threw me to the ground, punched me in the face. They grabbed the keys out of my hand and I heard them saying, 'Open the doors, open the doors.'"
The three women were able to get away. Police are hoping the new images of the attackers will help someone identify them. Two of the women are unmasked in the video.
"When I saw my mom in a ball crying with her face full of pepper spray, I just lost it," said Palumbo. ""I just want them to be brought to justice. This is my mother and if it was anyone else's mother, they would do the same."
Bellissima suffered a stress heart attack and just regained sight in her left eye, but the emotional scars of the attack remain deep.
"I'm scared to death to go out because they're not caught yet," said Bellissima. "I really am. Usually, I'm pretty strong. Let me tell you, I'm fighting cancer, but this time I'm scared because I know they're still out there."
There have been approximately 68 carjackings in Philadelphia since the beginning of the year. Last year, police reported a total of 410 incidents.
"We have seen an uptick, which is odd to see so many carjackings occurring," said Capt. James Kearney of South Detectives. "It turns your stomach."
SEE ALSO: Police: Carjackings on the rise in Philadelphia
