2 people wanted for carjacking, mayhem on West Chester Pike

Upper Darby Township police are searching for two suspects in Thursday’s carjacking and shooting incident that shut down a busy West Chester Pike for nearly two hours and involved an intensive manhunt on and near the highway.

Phillis Fugah, 23, of Upper Darby, and Ian Dean, 21, of Philadelphia, are wanted on charges of attempted murder, robbery and related offenses, police said.

Police added: “Dean has an active warrant for his arrest for robbery and related offenses. Both individuals are considered armed and dangerous. Do not approach them. If you have any information on their whereabouts, please call 911 immediately.”

The previous police report:

The Upper Darby Township Police Department responded shortly after 3 p.m. Thursday to a 911 call reporting a carjacking on West Chester Pike.

A man waiting for his wife in his vehicle was approached by two suspects. During a scuffle, the suspects managed to take over the vehicle, unaware that a 2-month-old baby was still inside.

As the suspect fled west on West Chester Pike, he realized police were chasing him. He abandoned the vehicle at North State Road and West Chester Pike, fleeing on foot toward the Cobbs Creek Golf Course.

During the incident, a shot was fired by one of the suspects, hitting a passing SEPTA bus. Fortunately, no injuries were reported to the bus passengers or victims. The suspects remain at large.

According to police radio traffic:

After the carjacking, police were looking for a white Honda Pilot with a Virginia license plate last seen heading west toward Haverford Township.

Haverford police were also on alert. Police determined the stolen vehicle had not traveled very far.

Police requested the closure of the eastbound lanes and searches were conducted on all side streets in the area.

Soon, the vehicle was discovered in the 7400 block of West Chester Pike, and the baby was inside.

Police took charge of the two-month-old baby while waiting for an ambulance to arrive. The baby did not appear to be injured, officers said, but had been in the abandoned vehicle for several minutes with the windows up.

Police have set up a perimeter to search for the suspect.

Police received a description of the apparent suspect: a black male wearing a black hoodie, black pants and white sneakers and holding his right side while running on the Pike.

Shortly after, it was determined that there was a second suspect who had a cast on his arm.

Most of the search was conducted over a two-hour period with no results and the highway was reopened. It was unclear from police information released Saturday how the department identified Fugah and Dean as suspects.

Originally published: August 31, 2024 at 8:30 a.m.