Department of Justice

ROCHESTER, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Jaden Z. Campbell, 18, of Rochester, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with carjacking and possessing and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. The charges carry a maximum penalty of life and a $250,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Cassie Kocher, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, in the early morning hours of July 11, 2022, Rochester Police officers were dispatched to the intersection of Resolute Street and North Clinton Avenue, for a report of an armed robbery and carjacking. While in route to the scene, officers saw the vehicle, and a chase ensued, lasting for approximately 27 minutes throughout Rochester, Irondequoit, and Scottsville. The chase ended with a motor vehicle accident on Quaker Road in Scottsville. Campbell exited the vehicle and ran but was taken into custody shortly thereafter.

The victim told police that while he was at 80 Resolute, Campbell came out from behind a tree with a gun and demanded all of his stuff or he would be shot. Campbell then reached into the victim’s pockets and took his car keys. After failing to start the victim’s car, Campbell told the victim to start the car, or he would be shot. Later in the morning on July 11, 2022, a concerned citizen called 911 to report a handgun in the roadway on Cranbrooke Drive in Irondequoit, one of the streets included in the case. Officers responded and recovered a 9mm pistol.

The defendant made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark W. Pedersen and is being held.

The case was brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office as part of its Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative. PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

The criminal complaint is the result of an investigation by the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Smith, the Irondequoit Police Department, under the direction of Chief Alan Laird, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Todd Baxter, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge John B. Devito, New York Field Division.

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.