Minneapolis carjacking victim dragged to death during ‘joke’ attempt: Charges

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A 25-year-old man faces murder charges after stealing the van of a man in Minneapolis, then dragging him to death during a carjacking attempt that he told police was a "joke" to him.

Minneapolis carjacking victim dragged during ‘joke’

What we know:

Gerald Nicolas Cepeda, who has no known address according to Hennepin County charging documents, faces one count of second-degree murder for an incident that occurred on April 11, 2026.

According to charges, Minneapolis police were dispatched to the area of 18th Street and Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis to the report of a pedestrian that had been dragged by a vehicle and was now lying in the street.

Officers provided life-saving efforts, but he was pronounced dead a short time later from "catastrophic injuries" as a result of the dragging that included multiple cardiac and aortic lacerations, a laceration of a lung, multiple rib fractures, a femur fracture, "complete amputation of a toe" and blunt force trauma to "nearly every surface of his head and body."

Dig deeper:

Investigators learned that the crime had been captured on multiple surveillance cameras, one of which clearly depicted the face of Cepeda as he loitered in the area prior to the carjacking attempt.

Cameras show that the victim initially let their dogs out of their vehicle, when Cepeda ran over and jumped into the driver’s seat. The victim then grabbed the driver’s door in an attempt to stop the theft, as Cepeda sped away.

Charges state that he then sped down the roadway for multiple blocks, dragging the victim from the driver’s door, during which his feet could be seen dragging along the way.

As the vehicle turned right on East 18th Street, the victim’s body flew into the air, and was then run over.

Police say that officers located the victim’s van a few blocks away, abandoned with the keys in the ignition and the dogs still inside.

Why you should care:

According to charges, Cepeda was arrested on April 14.

During an interview with police, he told investigators that he did not know the victim, and that he was "just playing a joke and was going to bring [his vehicle] back."