Dimas Colon-Cruz Sentenced in Brutal NY Carjacking Spree

Dimas Colon-Cruz, 37, of Erie, Pennsylvania, is behind bars for more than a decade after being sentenced to 154 months in federal prison for a violent carjacking and gun rampage in Dunkirk, New York. U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. confirmed the sentence handed down by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo, marking the end of a brutal crime spree that terrorized two victims in a matter of minutes.

On July 20, 2015, Colon-Cruz rolled into Dunkirk with co-defendants Michael Gonzalez-Colon and Denis Cruz, riding stolen all-terrain vehicles from Erie, Pennsylvania. The group’s arrival was short-lived—local law enforcement seized the ATVs—but their criminal spree had just begun. Within hours, the trio targeted Victim 1 near Robin and Second Streets, assaulting the individual at gunpoint, striking them in the face, and stealing personal items while firearms were openly brandished.

Almost immediately after, the violence escalated. At 209 Robin Street, Colon-Cruz and his accomplices ambushed Victim 2 as they exited a vehicle. The victim was ordered to kneel and then struck in the head with a handgun before the attackers stole their 2004 Pontiac Grand Am. The cold, coordinated assault left both victims battered and traumatized, with investigators describing the actions as ‘calculated and merciless.’

That same day, a separate burglary occurred at Lakeside Lawncare in Fredonia, NY, where thieves made off with a gray 2002 GMC Sierra pickup truck. Investigators later confirmed both stolen vehicles—the Pontiac and the GMC—were recovered in Erie, Pennsylvania, on July 22, 2015, linking the crimes directly to the defendants’ home base.

Michael Gonzalez-Colon has already been convicted and sentenced for his role in the spree. Charges remain pending against Denis Cruz. Federal authorities emphasize that charges are accusations until proven in court, and the presumption of innocence remains intact for any unconvicted defendant. But for Colon-Cruz, the gavel has already fallen.

The case was the result of a joint investigation by the Dunkirk Police Department under Chief David Ortolano, the Erie, Pennsylvania Police Department led by Chief Randy Bowers, the New York State Police directed by Major Edward Kennedy, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation under Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin P. Lyons. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael P. Felicetta prosecuted the case, securing a sentence that reflects the severity of the crimes committed on the streets of Chautauqua County.