In the late hours of a Friday night in Paterson, New Jersey, 43-year-old Petra Rhoden was diligently working her job as a DoorDash delivery driver. On October 4, 2019, as she was making a delivery on Harrison Street, her life was tragically cut short. Rhoden, a female resident of Paterson, was shot while in her vehicle. In a desperate attempt to escape her assailant, she tried to drive away but tragically crashed her car through a fence and into a shed a short distance from the scene of the shooting.
Police responded to a report of shots fired in the area of Harrison Street and Rosa Parks Boulevard around 10:22 p.m. Upon arrival, they discovered Rhoden in the driver's seat of her crashed vehicle with apparent gunshot wounds. Officers immediately began performing CPR, and she was rushed to St. Joseph's University Medical Center. Despite the efforts to save her, Petra Rhoden succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead a short time later.
Her family described her as a sweet, loving person who was dedicated to her family and also worked in the music industry.
The investigation into the senseless killing led to the arrest of Quadir Whitaker, 34, of East Orange, weeks after the incident on October 21, 2019. Prosecutors revealed that Whitaker had been following Rhoden as she picked up food and completed her final delivery of the night. In a development in the case, Whitaker pleaded guilty to first-degree aggravated manslaughter. He admitted to his role as the driver of the vehicle that transported the shooter to and from the scene of the crime. In October 2022, Whitaker was sentenced to ten years in New Jersey State Prison. The individual who is suspected of actually shooting Petra Rhoden has not been identified and remains at large. The motive behind the shooting remains unclear.
