Son Thwarts Disabled Mom's Carjacker in Roberts Road Jewel Parking Lot: Police

HICKORY HILLS, IL—A Chicago woman is accused of trying to carjack a vehicle where a disabled 63-year-old woman sat waiting for her son while he shopped in a supermarket. Julianna A. Al Maghrabi, 20, appeared Thursday before Cook County Judge Linzey Jones on a felony aggravated vehicular hijacking.

Just before 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, Hickory Hills police responded to numerous calls of a reported carjacking in the Jewel-Osco parking lot at 95th Street and Roberts Road. The older woman was sitting inside her 2025 Chrysler Pacifica minivan while her son was inside shopping for groceries.

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The prosecutor said a woman, later identified as Maghrabi, entered the driver's seat and told the woman to get out. Maghrabi threatened to shoot the woman if she didn't get out of the minivan she was going to shoot her, the prosecutor said.

Maghrabi tried pushing the woman out, the prosecutor said,

The older woman tried to put on her prosthetic leg, Maghrabi is alleged to have pushed her out of the vehicle. The prosecutor said the older woman managed to call her son, who was inside the store, screaming that she was being robbed.

Her son ran out of the store to the minivan. He pulled Maghrabi out of the driver's seat and detained her on the ground until officers arrived, the prosecutor said. Police also received numerous 911 calls from shoppers.

When Maghrabi was taken into custody, police determined she was unarmed. She told officers that a man drove her to the parking lot and held a gun to her head. Maghrabi reportedly stated that the man threatened to kill her if she didn't steal the Chrysler Pacifica so they could buy drugs.

Maghrabi is also said to have given a vague description of the man who dropped her off at Jewel, whom she said had a lot of drugs. She gave officers permission to search her phone, but police said there were no texts about stealing a vehicle.

Security video showed Maghrabi arriving in a white vehicle driven by an unknown driver. Maghrabi got out in front of Jewel, and the car drove off. The prosecutor said Maghrabi went into the supermarket where she purchased two bottles of water. She next appeared on video entering the older woman's minivan.

A few moments later the son appeared on video running out of the store and pulling Maghrabi out of the vehicle.

Maghrabi admitted to the police to entering the older woman's vehicle, the prosecutor said. She told officers that she was bipolar.

The prosecutor informed the judge that Maghrabi had no criminal background, except for a juvenile arrest in 2024 for criminal damage to property.

"This was a crime of violence of entering a vehicle and trying to force a disabled person out the door," the prosecutor said, arguing that Maghrabi be detained. "It's an act of targeting someone minding their own business while her son was grocery shopping. This could happen to anyone in society."

The public defender said Maghrabi had recently lost her mother and was a caregiver to two young siblings.

"This is completely out of character for her," the assistant public defender said. "She is bipolar and recently went off her medication."

Judge Jones said by its nature, the carjacking attempt was a crime of violence.

"This is the most difficult part of the analysis to detain," the judge said. "Given her background and mental state, I'm going to determine that the state hasn't met its petition to detain."

Maghrabi was placed on electronic home monitoring with limited movement. Judge Jones also ordered that she undergo a mental health evaluation. Maghrabi is also to report for monthly pretrial checks and random drug testing.

"This is in your best interest," Judge Jones said. "The only way to not make things worse for yourself is not to try to comply with my orders to the letter. Don't get in trouble."

Maghrabi's next court appearance is Nov. 10 in Bridgeview.

"I apologize to her and her son from the bottom of my heart," Maghrabi said. "That wasn't me."