Woodridge Man Charged in Carjacking, Kidnapping, Armed Robbery

A Woodridge man has been charged in the April 2014 hijacking and kidnapping a mother and her two children.

The DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office has charged John A. Smith, age 18, formerly of Woodridge, with two counts of aggravated vehicular hijacking, one count of aggravated kidnapping and one count of armed robbery.

A woman and her children were sitting in a parked car at a grocery store April 26, 2014, when a man armed with a large knife got into the car through passenger side door, according to the state’s attorney’s office. He ordered the woman to drive to a bank to get money, and he stole $45 cash and about $100 of Canadian money from the woman before he got out of the car.

The woman and her children were not harmed, and a Woodridge Police Department investigation led authorities to believe Smith is the kidnapper in this incident.

“Mr. Smith has been a person of interest for some time,” Woodridge Chief of Police Gina Grady said in a statement. “I’m happy to tell the Woodridge community we can finally put this incident behind us.”

Smith is currently serving 14 years in prison for an unrelated armed robbery in Bolingbrook.

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