2 men arrested in Philadelphia carjacking that killed 3 kids

USPA News - Two men have been arrested and charged over the deaths of three young children who died in the city of Philadelphia last week when they were struck by a vehicle that had been carjacked, authorities said on Monday as they released shocking new details. Jonathan Rosa, 19, and Cornelius Crawford, 23, were arrested after a three-day-long manhunt during which authorities offered a $110,000 reward.

The fatal crash happened on Friday morning when the driver of a white Toyota 4Runner SUV lost control at an intersection and jumped onto the sidewalk, killing three young children who were selling fruit to support their local garden. The arrests came as authorities released shocking new details about the events that preceded the fatal crash. Police spokesman Lt. John Stanford said the 45-year-old woman who had been driving the SUV was carjacked about 25 minutes before the crash, and was raped by the two men as they drove around. "The males later identified as Jonathon Rosa and Cornelius Crawford entered the victim`s white Toyota 4-Runner, holding her at gunpoint throughout this ordeal," Stanford said. "During this incident, both males physically and sexually assaulted the victim inside of her vehicle while driving around." The crash occurred at approximately 11:20 a.m. local time when the driver of the vehicle - which was traveling at a high rate of speed - lost control while attempting to make a left turn at the intersection. Police allege Crawford was driving the vehicle at the time of the accident, after which both men fled the scene, leaving their victims behind. Terrance Moore, a 7-year-old boy, was pronounced dead at the scene. Joseph Reed, a 10-year-old boy, and Keiearra Williams, a 15-year-old girl, died after being rushed to area hospitals. The mother of the children, 34-year-old Keisha Williams, remained in a critical condition on Monday and had not yet been told of her children`s deaths. Both the carjacking victim and a 69-year-old pedestrian also remained in hospital in a stable condition. Stanford said Rosa was arrested late on Sunday when he turned himself in to police, accompanied by his mother and pastor, after becoming aware that investigators were closing in on him. Police along with U.S. Marshals arrested Crawford a short time later. Both suspects were denied bail on Tuesday. Rosa and Crawford have both been charged with 3 counts of Murder in the 2nd degree, Conspiracy in the 1st degree, Robbery in the 1st degree, Robbery of a Motor Vehicle, Kidnapping in the 1st degree, Involuntary Deviant Sexual Intercourse, Aggravated Assault in the 1st degree, Sexual Assault in the 2nd degree, and Recklessly Endangering Another Person, which is a Misdemeanor-2. "The Philadelphia Police Department would like to thank the citizens of Philadelphia for all their assistance in the form of calls, tips and information provided to bring this case to close so quickly," Stanford said. "The success of this investigation was truly a joint effort by Philadelphia Citizens, Police Homicide Detectives and all Media."