Senate Passes Legislation Making Carjacking with Child Inside a Felony

The New York State Senate passed legislation that would increase criminal penalties for carjacking a vehicle when there is a child inside.

The legislation comes less than two weeks after a woman and her 10-year-old daughter were abducted in a carjacking in the Onondaga County town of Clay.

David Renz, 29, is charged with killing the woman and raping the child. The mother died of stab wounds and the child escaped the vehicle and was helped by a passing motorist.

The bill would make it a felony to carjack a vehicle with a child under the age of 16 in the vehicle. The crime would be punishable by as much as 8 and 1/3 to 25 years in prison.

The bill was sent to the Assembly.