New Haven man accused in Westport Uber Eats carjacking sentenced

STAMFORD — An 18year-old New Haven man accused in a Westport carjacking that left a 64-yearold Uber Eats driver seriously injured was sentenced to six months in prison on Friday.

Jason Minor received the sentence — which includes a five-year suspended sentence and five years of probation — after allegedly violating a probation program that could have resulted in charges against him being dropped.

In August of last year, Minor accepted a deal to enter a conditional guilty plea to conspiracy to commit firstdegree larceny. In exchange, he was granted a two-year pretrial probationary program called accelerated rehabilitation, which, if he completed it without any new arrests, would have resulted in the charge against the 17-year-old being dropped.

But the program was canceled by Judge Alex Hernandez after Minor was arrested again in New Haven. Details of that arrest were not readily available, but Hernandez said Minor was allegedly found by police in possession of a key to a stolen car with out-of-state plates and he fled when officers approached him.

Minor spoke in court, apologizing for his actions.

“I messed up,” he said, later adding, “I want to get back on track.”

Hernandez said Minor’s comments made a difference in the sentencing, which was originally set at one year of prison time.

“You were talking about getting your life back on track,” Hernandez said. “I think you still can.”

Minor was originally charged with first-degree robbery, conspiracy to commit first-degree robbery, first-degree assault of an elderly victim, conspiracy to commit first-degree assault of an elderly victim, firstdegree larceny, conspiracy to commit first-degree larceny, third-degree larceny, criminal possession of a firearm, sale, delivery or transfer of a firearm, engaging police in a pursuit, carrying a dangerous weapon, and stealing a firearm in connection to a carjacking that took place in Westport on March 5, 2022.

In August, Assistant State’s Attorney Elizabeth Moran said the state agreed to reduce the charges and offer the pretrial program due to Minor making “great strides” after his arrest.

One of Minor’s four codefendants, Tayvion Hart, was sentenced to six-and-ahalf years in prison in connection with the carjacking.

Minor, Hart, Giovanni Abreu and Kerwin Romero were all arrested in March 2022 in connection with the incident and subsequent high-speed car chase that ended with a crash on Interstate 95 in Bridgeport.

According to their arrest warrants, Minor, Abreu and Romero stayed inside of a second stolen vehicle on March 5 as Hart carjacked the 64-year-old Uber Eats driver in front of a pizza restaurant on Post Road East in Westport. The driver tried to stop the man from escaping in her car, but was thrown to the ground in the process and dragged along the street by the escaping vehicle, according to the warrant.

As Hart escaped in the woman’s car, Romero, Minor and Abreu followed in an Acura that was reported stolen earlier in the day in Hamden.

In two separate cars, Abreu and Hart led police on a high-speed chase on I-95 until around Exit 29 where Abreu crashed and the three were arrested, police said. Of the three, Minor was the only suspect to remain on scene.

In November, Abreu was sentenced to one year in prison after he pleaded guilty to first-degree larceny, engaging police in a pursuit and interfering with police. A month later, in December, Romero was also sentenced to one year after pleading guilty to first-degree larceny, interfering with police, engaging police in a pursuit and possessing a pistol without a permit.