Carjacker Sentenced In Connection With Morris County Crime Spree

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — A 55-year-old man has been sentenced to more than 20 years in prison in connection with a carjacking incident and subsequent crime spree, Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll said.

Howard Parks, formerly of East Orange, was sentenced on Friday, March 17, to an aggregate sentence of 21 years in prison, subject to the No Early Release Act, which mandates that he serve 85 percent of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole.

Parks was also sentenced to three years of parole supervision upon release.

These charges stem from an incident that occurred in Morris County in April of last year.

On April 1, officers from the Mount Olive Police Department responded to the Walmart parking lot in Flanders to assist the South Orange Police Department with an ongoing carjacking investigation.

Mount Olive police responded to a carjacking report at Walmart in Flanders shortly after noon on April 1, 2022. Parks allegedly threatened the vehicle's owner before taking the car and fleeing the parking lot, according to police.

Authorities said Parks attempted to rob a Wells Fargo Bank in Flanders about 20 minutes later. According to officials, Parks pretended to have a gun and passed a note demanding money before fleeing the bank.

According to Carroll, Parks was also involved in a car accident near the intersection of Dover-Chester Road and Route 10 in Randolph shortly after leaving the bank, during which he attempted to steal another vehicle.

Following the crash, Parks was taken into custody prior to being able to leave the scene. The driver of the other vehicle involved in the crash sustained non-life-threatening injuries, authorities said.

On Nov. 29, 2022, Parks appeared before the Honorable Judge Ralph E. Amirata and pleaded guilty to three counts of second-degree robbery.