Authorities have taken a 17-year-old Wilmington resident into custody and continue hunting for a second perpetrator after an armed holdup Saturday night at Christiana Mall in Newark.
Officers responded around 6:45 p.m. on March 21, 2026, to the parking area adjacent to JCPenney at 606 Christiana Mall following reports of an armed holdup. Law enforcement received descriptions of the suspects and spotted the teenager who matched one profile. When the youth fled on foot, officers pursued him across several lanes of Route 1 before apprehending him. Authorities discovered a loaded firearm tucked in his waistband.
Delaware State Police Criminal Investigations Unit assumed control of the investigation. Initial findings show that as two individuals prepared to get into their car, both the teenager and an unidentified male accomplice confronted them and ordered the first person to hand over their belongings. The 17-year-old brandished a gun while his partner took the victim’s possessions. The unknown accomplice escaped with the stolen items, and the armed teenager used his weapon to strike the victim in the head. The gun-wielding youth then pursued the second person while pointing his firearm at them, though that individual managed to get away without injury.
The person who was hit with the gun, a 47-year-old Bridgeville man, refused medical attention at the scene.
Police describe the outstanding suspect as a Black male between 20 and 24 years old, standing 5’8″ to 5’9″ and weighing 160 to 170 pounds. He was last observed wearing a black coat, dark jeans, and a black face covering. His escape route remains unknown. While early reports suggested this suspect was also armed, the ongoing investigation has determined he carried no weapon.
During the robbery investigation, New Castle County Police were simultaneously handling a separate carjacking case elsewhere on mall grounds.
Officers transported the 17-year-old to Troop 6, where he faced multiple charges before Justice of the Peace Court 11 and was sent to the Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families with a $55,000 cash bond.
- Robbery First Degree (Felony)
- Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony (Felony)
- Possession of a Firearm by a Person Under 21 (Felony)
- Possession of Ammo for a Firearm by a Person Under 21 (Felony)
- Carrying a Concealed Deadly Weapon (Felony)
- Aggravated Menacing (Felony)
- Wearing a Disguise During the Commission of a Felony (Felony)
- Conspiracy Second Degree (Felony)
- Resisting Arrest
Delaware State Police Troop 2 Criminal Investigations Unit remains actively investigating this case. Investigators urge anyone who saw the incident or has relevant information to reach out to Detective J. Lucyk at (302) 365-8446. Tips can also be submitted through private Facebook messages to Delaware State Police or by calling Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-847-3333.
Crime victims, witnesses, or those who have lost loved ones to sudden death can access support through the Delaware State Police Victim Services Unit and Delaware Victim Center, available around the clock at 1-800-VICTIM-1 (1-800-842-8461). The Victim Services Unit also accepts emails at [email protected].
