A Philadelphia man, Zyair Dangerfield-Hill, has been convicted at trial for his role in the gunpoint carjacking of a 73-year-old man in West Philadelphia’s Spruce Hill neighborhood. The verdict, delivered on April 25, 2025, found Dangerfield-Hill guilty of carjacking and aiding and abetting, as well as carrying and using a firearm during a violent crime.
Daylight Attack and High-Speed Chase
The incident occurred on April 21, 2021, when the victim was placing items in his parked vehicle on Pine Street. Dangerfield-Hill and an associate approached with loaded handguns, demanding the victim’s car keys, phone, and wallet, and threatening to shoot him. When the victim handed over $20 and his keys, two additional suspects arrived, also brandishing firearms. The group then fled in the stolen vehicle.
Philadelphia police responded swiftly, broadcasting a description of the suspects. Officers spotted the stolen car about a mile away and initiated a high-speed pursuit, which ended when the suspects crashed into metal pillars at 52nd Street and Paschall Avenue. The four men fled on foot, but Dangerfield-Hill was found hiding behind a motorcycle nearby. DNA, fingerprints, and location data later confirmed his involvement.
Sentencing and Law Enforcement Response
Dangerfield-Hill faces a mandatory minimum of seven years in prison, with a maximum possible sentence of life imprisonment. U.S. Attorney David Metcalf emphasized the severity of the crime, stating that the defendant terrorized an innocent elderly man in broad daylight. FBI Special Agent Wayne A. Jacobs reinforced the agency’s commitment to pursuing violent offenders.
The case was investigated by the FBI and Philadelphia Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Jeanette Kang and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney David Weisberg.
