From the City of College Park:

Recently, City officials became aware of social media posts stating that an armed carjacking occurred at the Hollywood Shopping Center on January 8, 2025. After speaking to PGPD Major Keleti, head of the City’s Contract Police Program, we can report that the incident that occurred was not an armed carjacking, but an armed robbery related to a Facebook Marketplace sale meetup. The seller was able to flag down on-duty City Contract Police Officers within a minute of the robbery and a police report was filed. The incident is still under active investigation.

We would like to remind residents to conduct all internet marketplace sales safely at local police stations. Please note that this wasn’t a random act and unfortunately, crimes like these occur nationwide. Stay vigilant of your surroundings and always immediately report crimes by calling 911.

As you may have heard, in November, we unfortunately had a spree of robberies in the Hollywood area – three armed robberies and one carjacking. As stated during our Police Community Meeting in December, these types of crimes are rare for College Park, but are worrisome nonetheless. Major Keleti was able to give us an update, and we are pleased to share that all but one of those cases have led to arrests of the suspected culprits, while one still remains under active investigation. The suspects, were all juveniles from outside of College Park. Since November, we have added extra Contract Police patrols which have prevented other crimes from occurring.

While these incidents and posts may be alarming, the City of College Park is a very safe community. We would like to thank our residents for staying vigilant and reporting suspicious behavior/activity to police. Stay safe College Park!