A federal judge sentenced Cedrick Hodges, 41, of Trenton to life in prison for a string of carjackings that wounded two victims with permanent injuries. The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger. Hodges was convicted on October 24, 2023, on five counts following a seven-day trial. The charges included carjacking, brandishing a firearm during a carjacking, two attempted carjackings resulting in serious bodily injury, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Court documents detail three incidents on December 16, 2017, in Hamilton Township: In the first incident, Hodges entered the back seat of a Toyota Camry and pointed a sawed-off shotgun at the driver, demanding she drive. When she ran from the vehicle, Hodges fired the shotgun at her. Minutes later, Hodges approached a Honda Accord with two occupants. He pointed the shotgun at the driver’s window and demanded they exit. When the driver tried to escape, Hodges fired through the window, hitting the driver in the torso and causing permanent injuries. In the third incident, Hodges confronted a man entering a Nissan Rogue. When the man refused to surrender his keys, Hodges shot him, causing permanent injuries. “On an evening in December 2017, Cedrick Hodges terrorized the people of Hamilton Township in a series of horrific and violent carjackings during which he shot two of his victims with a sawed-off shotgun at point blank range, inflicting on these victims permanent and life-altering injuries,” U.S. Attorney Sellinger said. “Our office, together with our federal and local law enforcement partners, will spare no effort prosecuting violent offenders like Hodges. The sentence handed down today will ensure that this violent offender will never again be in a position to harm the people of New Jersey or anywhere else.” U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi delivered the sentence in Trenton federal court. The investigation involved multiple agencies: the U.S. Attorney’s Office under Special Agent in Charge Thomas Mahoney; Hamilton Township Police Department under Chief Kenneth R. DeBoskey; New Jersey State Police under Superintendent Col. Patrick J. Callahan; Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office under Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri; U.S. Marshals Service under U.S. Marshal Juan Mattos; and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives under Special Agent in Charge Bryan Miller.