Ontario carjacking victim stabbed in neck during Facebook Marketplace test drive: police

Toronto-area police arrested two men and charged them with attempted murder in relation to a violent carjacking in Brampton earlier this year that sent the victim to hospital with a stab wound in his neck.

According to Peel Regional Police , on May 10, a man who had posted his Dodge Challenger for sale on Facebook Marketplace was on a test drive with the two suspects when one of them “produced an edged weapon.”

The pair of men from Windsor, 22 and 20 years old respectively, threatened the vehicle’s owner with violence and then stabbed him in the throat when he refused to get out of his car.

After the suspects fled the vehicle, the victim was found and taken to hospital to be treated for serious injuries. The car was found the following day in Windsor.

Peel Regional Police said Windsor Police Service aided in their investigation that led to the arrests on Sept. 11.

In addition to attempted murder, the pair are also charged with robbery and aggravated assault. They’re being held for a bail hearing.

Police want anyone with information about the accused or the investigation to contact them at (905) 453-2121 ext. 3410 or anonymously through CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or peelcrimestoppers.ca .

Équité Association, an organization that advocates against crime for Canada’s property and casualty insurance industry, reported a 19.1 per cent decrease in national auto theft trends in the first half of this year, with 23,094 reported across the country.

Ontario saw the sharpest decline (25.9 per cent), followed by Quebec (22 2 per cent).

The organization credited Public Safety Canada’s 2024 National Action Plan on Combating Auto Thef t, law enforcement collaboration, industry stakeholders and the Canada Border Services Agency.

As of the end of August, CBSA is reporting 1,066 stolen vehicles intercepted and detained by its agents so far this year — more than half (637) were located in Quebec. That’s down considerably from the 2,277 in 2024 and also on pace to finish below the 1,806 in 2023.

While most data sets don’t offer any insight into recent carjackings, York Regional Police reported a 49 per cent decrease this year over last, which it credited to “targeted enforcement efforts and regional task force initiatives.”

Earlier in the year, the police force had issued a warning about staged collision carjackings, following a spate in late 2024 and early January, according to CityNews.

In those cases, police explained, the suspects will intentionally cause minor collisions with a targeted victim’s vehicle. When the driver exits to inspect the damage, the suspects, usually armed, threaten the victim and steal the vehicle.

National Post has contacted Ontario’s Provincial Carjacking Joint Task Force (PCJTF), formed in October 2023 to address increasing violent auto thefts, for recent data and an update on its efforts over the past two years.

Members of the task force include regional police in York, Peel, Halton, Durham, the Ontario Provincial Police, the Criminal Intelligence Service of Ontario and other external agencies.

The aim of the PCJTF “is to disrupt the networks responsible for high-risk auto thefts, which increasingly involve violence, firearms and other weapons.”

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