Nationwide Warrant Issued For Suspect In Attempted Oak Lawn Carjacking

OAK LAWN, IL — A nationwide arrest warrant has been issued for one of four suspects said to be involved in an armed carjacking in Oak Lawn that took place April 18 near the intersection of 99th Place and Minnick Avenue.

Jerome D. Fears, Jr, a 20-year-old Chicago man, is wanted for the attempted vehicular hijacking that happened in the early morning hours of April 18. Police said a group of men fired shots at an Oak Lawn home when they tried to steal a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The four fled in a Mercedes SUV at a high rate of speed when it crashed moments later into a tree. The men exited and attempted to carjack a vehicle driven by a woman with a young child, police said.

>>> Would-Be Thieves Fire Shots At Resident, Try To Carjack Young Mom

According to police, Fears pointed a gun at the woman while one of his accomplices tried to open the passenger-side car door, but the women was able to speed away unharmed.

Fears has an extensive arrest history that includes weapons and stolen vehicle offenses, robbery, and assault, and he should be considered armed and dangerous. He is a 5-foot-5-inch tall black man, with a noticeable deformity to his right hand.

Oak Lawn Police say they have also identified two other suspects in the incident and are hoping to bring additional charges, something that Oak Lawn Trustee Paul Mallo said he is extremely grateful for and enthusiastic about.

“These people are predators, plain and simple, and they need to be off of our streets and in our jails,” Mallo said in a news release.

The incident occurred in Mallo’s 3rd District, but he said every member of the Oak Lawn Board is fed-up with the increase in violent crime in the area.

“Our concern is the safety and well-being of our citizens and police officers, not the criminals who prey on, victimize, and attack them,” Mallo said.

Mallo referred to the Oak Lawn Village Board’s frequent and very vocal support of its police department, and fellow board members’ equally vocal opposition to the anti-police movement and anti-police legislation in Springfield.

Oak Lawn Mayor Terry Vorderer echoed Mallo’s statements.

“From the beginning, our village board has been unanimously vocal in our opposition to the anti-police movement and legislation in Illinois, and now more and more people are starting to see and realize just how dangerous those policies are for our communities,” the mayor said.

Vorderer spent almost 30 years with the Oak Lawn Police Department before retiring and running for elected office. He is placing a resolution on the agenda for the Sept. 27 board meeting calling for the complete repeal of IL House Bill 3653, otherwise known as the “SAFE-T Act.”

The mayor added that he is confident the resolution will be passed unanimously by the Village Trustees.

“Oak Lawn is a law-abiding town and always has been,” the mayor said. “If other towns want the wild-west in their communities, so be it, but we don’t tolerate it in Oak Lawn.”

If anyone has information on the whereabouts of Jerome D. Fears, Jr, about this or other incidents, please call the Oak Lawn Police Detective Division at 708-907-4051, or send a text to 708-613-8477.