Joshua Whittlesey, a 26-year-old resident of Cary, North Carolina, has been sentenced to 12.5 years in prison and ordered to pay $28,000 in restitution for carjacking. Whittlesey pled guilty to the charge on November 13, 2024.
Court records reveal that on July 21, 2023, Whittlesey visited Hendrick’s Cadillac in Cary under the pretense of purchasing a Ford Raptor. During a test drive with a sales representative, he brandished what appeared to be a firearm and ordered the representative out of the vehicle. The sales representative immediately contacted authorities. Following this incident, Whittlesey led police from Cary, Durham, and Raleigh on a high-speed chase reaching speeds of up to 100 miles per hour. During his escape attempt, he struck and injured a Cary Police dog with the stolen vehicle before abandoning it and being apprehended in Burlington. Whittlesey claimed the weapon was a BB gun; however, law enforcement did not recover any firearm.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative that involves collaboration between law enforcement agencies and communities to reduce violent crime and enhance neighborhood safety. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched an updated strategy for PSN focusing on building community trust and legitimacy, supporting violence prevention organizations, setting strategic enforcement priorities, and evaluating results.
Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina announced the sentencing following proceedings by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cary Police Department conducted investigations into the case while Assistant U.S. Attorney Jaren E. Kelly and Jake D. Pugh handled prosecution duties.
