Bridgeton man charged with kidnapping, theft in Wawa carjacking case

Rashaud S. Hannah, 30, of Bridgeton, was charged after a May 5 incident at a Wawa in Cumberland County that prosecutors say involved a car being taken while two children were inside. The accusation immediately raised the stakes beyond a routine vehicle theft, turning the case into a child-safety and public-safety concern for county residents.

The central dispute is legal as much as factual. Hannah’s attorney argues he is not a kidnapper, pushing back on the state’s decision to add kidnapping to the theft charge. That divide matters because prosecutors and defense lawyers are already fighting over how the incident should be classified, and that classification can shape bail, plea negotiations, and possible prison exposure long before any trial.

At issue is whether the facts alleged at the Wawa support a kidnapping charge in addition to theft. Prosecutors say the conduct went far enough to justify the more serious allegation, while the defense is signaling that taking a car is not the same thing as kidnapping, even in a case that involved children. The distinction can determine how a judge, a jury, and the public understand the seriousness of the episode.

The location also gives the case local weight. A Wawa parking lot is a familiar part of daily life in Cumberland County, and a car taken from that kind of place with children inside is the sort of event that can unsettle parents, shoppers, and nearby businesses. It also highlights the difficult line law enforcement and prosecutors must draw when a property crime overlaps with a threat to children.

For Bridgeton and the wider county, the case now sits at the intersection of criminal accountability and community safety. The state says the facts justify kidnapping and theft charges. The defense says the kidnapping label goes too far. How that fight plays out will affect Hannah’s case in court and how residents judge the seriousness of what happened at the Wawa.