A Norristown man who led state police on a high-speed chase through Lower Merion Township in January 2025 pleaded guilty to federal carjacking charges, facing at least 14 years in prison.

Anthony Bell, 20, of the 100 block of Fornance Street in Norristown, entered his plea before U.S. District Judge Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro in Philadelphia. U.S. Attorney David Metcalf announced the plea on Friday, Oct. 2.

Bell pleaded guilty to three counts of carjacking, two counts of attempted carjacking, conspiracy to commit carjacking, and two counts of using, carrying and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, along with aiding and abetting. No statement from Bell or his attorney appeared in public records as of the plea announcement.

The spree

The five-day crime spree began Jan. 24, 2025, in Philadelphia, when a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze was stolen while its owner had left it running. Detectives later found an image Bell had posted to his Instagram account showing him inside the stolen car, according to Main Line Media News.

On Jan. 28, 2025, Bell and co-conspirators used the stolen Cruze to carjack a woman's Infiniti QX80 at gunpoint on North Spangler Street in Philadelphia. Bell then drove the Infiniti to Norristown, where a shootout occurred on the 200 block of East Oak Street at approximately 6:16 p.m., according to the federal press release.

After the Infiniti crashed, the group carjacked a man at gunpoint as he parked his Chevrolet Silverado pickup on the 800 block of Green Street in Norristown. Four males dressed in all black and wearing masks forcibly removed the victim from the truck.

That same evening, the group attempted to carjack a woman in a GMC Yukon on West Valley Green Road in Whitemarsh Township, but her door was locked and the attempt failed. They also attempted to carjack a woman in a Jeep Cherokee at gunpoint on Woolston Street in Philadelphia and then carjacked a man's 2018 Nissan Rogue on Gorgas Lane in Philadelphia.

Arrest on I-76

The next day, Jan. 29, 2025, state police spotted Bell driving the stolen Nissan Rogue.

A high-speed chase on I-476 and I-76 ended when Bell crashed the vehicle after striking another car on Interstate 76 in Lower Merion Township. Police arrested Bell and two male passengers. When officers searched Bell, they found the key to the stolen Silverado.

Cellphone GPS data and Instagram posts helped investigators link Bell to the crimes. His phone data placed him near multiple crime scenes, and his device traveled the same route as the stolen Infiniti to Norristown.

From county to federal court

Montgomery County authorities initially charged Bell and seven others in April 2025 with 70 counts including corrupt organizations, robbery and conspiracy in connection with the spree. Prosecutors alleged Bell was associated with the "Grimy Boys/Da 6" street gang.

The county charges against Bell were later dismissed so the case could move to federal court, where armed carjacking penalties are more severe. Federal authorities indicted Bell in July 2025. The seven co-defendants pleaded guilty in county court and received various jail terms.

What's next

Bell faces a mandatory minimum of 14 years in federal prison, which must run consecutively to any other sentence. He could receive up to life imprisonment, five years of supervised release, a fine of up to $2 million and an $800 special assessment, according to MyChesCo.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Montgomery County Detective Bureau and the Philadelphia Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Bowerman is prosecuting.

Bell's sentencing is scheduled for March 1, 2027, before Judge Quiñones Alejandro.