State’s Attorney James Glasgow announced Jordan Henry, 28, of Harvey, was sentenced to 22 years in prison in the aggravated vehicular hijacking in Chicago and subsequent car chase by law enforcement that ended just off I-55 in Shorewood. Circuit Judge Bertani-Tomczak entered the judgment of conviction and rendered the sentence. She found Henry guilty on all 13 counts charged in the indictment on January 27, following a bench trial.
At 10:55 a.m. on February 23, 2022, Henry attempted to carjack an individual entering his vehicle outside a 7-Eleven convenience store in Chicago’s Lincoln Park area, while armed with a firearm. Jordan aimed his gun at the victim’s face, and the victim fled the scene with the car keys, preventing Henry from taking the vehicle. Henry did, however, steal the victim’s phone from his car before fleeing the scene in his own vehicle. Approximately 25 minutes later, Henry committed a second, unrelated crime of Aggravated Vehicular Hijacking, when he aimed his gun at the body of a 69-year-old man in a black Volkswagen Jetta, at 1802 Diversey Parkway, who was working as an Uber driver. Henry ordered the man out of the vehicle at gunpoint and fled the area with the Jetta.
Law enforcement identified a vehicle matching the Jetta’s description being driven on I-94 and attempted to initiate a traffic stop. Henry instead accelerated and led police on a pursuit that continued southbound on I-94, to I-80, to I-294 northbound, and onto I-55 south in Will County, where the car Henry was driving reached speeds exceeding 100-mph.
Shorewood Police Department placed “stop sticks” tire deflation devices on the roadway, which caused the tires to deflate. Henry continued to travel on the flat tires until he lost control of the vehicle and almost struck a police squad car before crashing into a grass embankment area by the roadway, off I-55 near I-80.
Henry got out of the stolen vehicle and began leading officers on a foot chase. The Illinois State Police deployed a K-9, who attempted to stop the defendant. Henry began to punch the police K-9 as he attempted to get away by running into a marshy area, at which point he was taken into custody.
Henry was detained on the $1 million bond in the Will County Adult Detention Facility until his trial. Henry had sought to dismiss the action in Will County, arguing that it should be tried in Chicago, where the carjacking occurred. Judge Bertani-Tomczak denied the motion after the prosecution argued Henry continued to exert unauthorized control over the stolen Volkswagen Jetta in Will County.
“Henry is a dangerous, violent criminal, with a laundry list of prior convictions and current outstanding charges, including a violent aggravated criminal sexual assault that took place while he was out on bond for other charges. In fact, he committed the crimes in this case, while out on bond in Cook County in yet another case involving the possession of a stolen vehicle,” Glasgow said.
“The $1 million bond in Will County guaranteed the public’s safety from this violent offender and his appearance in court while he awaited trial. During his arrest, Henry told detectives he would ‘be out by Sunday.’ He found out that here in Will County, we prosecute crime and take the public’s safety seriously. This violent offender will finally be off the streets and in prison where he belongs,” Glasgow continued.
Henry will receive 424 days credit for time served.
At the time Henry was apprehended in Will County, he had been out on a February 10, 2022, Cook County bond after paying $1,000 ($10,000 bond at 10 percent) for Possession of a Stolen Motor Vehicle, a Class 4 Felony (22CR0326801). That case still is pending with an outstanding warrant.
Henry currently is facing charges in Cook County, along with additional cases pending. There is also an outstanding warrant of arrest against Henry in Lake County, Indiana.
Henry has an extensive record of criminal convictions, including two prior Cook County felony convictions and multiple misdemeanor convictions.