Update: Mars Hill carjacking suspect charged with attempted murder, Sheriff's Office says

The suspect authorities say carjacked the vehicle of a Mars Hill U.S. Mail worker Sept. 5 was captured early Sept. 6 in Morganton after a manhunt went on through the night, Burke County officials confirmed, and Madison County law enforcement officials have identified the suspect.

Madison County Sheriff's Office Lt. Coy Phillips said Jaden Garay, 23, of Atlantic Beach, Florida, is in in custody at the Madison County Jail and is being charged with attempted first-degree murder.

Garay is being held on a $2 million bond, according to Phillips.

Jessica Adams, an investigator with the U.S. Postal Service, said Teresa Ramsay, a mail carrier in Mars Hill, was shot in the carjacking and was at Mission Hospital.

Burke County Sheriff's Office and Sheriff Banks Hinceman confirmed the arrest in a Facebook post shortly after 12:30 p.m. Sept. 6.

According to the post, shortly before 7:30 p.m. Sept. 5, Burke County Communications advised the Burke County Sheriff's Office of a high-speed chase that was occurring in McDowell County and was about to enter Burke County on Interstate 40.

The vehicle, a gray Jeep with "U.S. Mail" and "Frequent stops" listed on the back of the vehicle, as posted by Madison County Sheriff Buddy Harwood in a Facebook post around 3:30 p.m. Sept. 5, exited the interstate at Burkemont Avenue and traveled onto Williams Road, crossing over a private field where the driver ran into a wooded area, the post said.

"Law enforcement was advised that the vehicle was stolen, and the driver was a person of interest in a felonious assault that had occurred in Madison County," Burke County Sheriff's Office said in the post. "The driver was considered armed and dangerous. Law enforcement set up a containment perimeter along the wooded area, I-40, Enola Road, Walker Road, Pete Brittian Road, and the property of J. Iverson Riddle Center."

J. Iverson Riddle Developmental Center is the state operated developmental center for the western region of the state.

According to the post, the suspect, later identified as Garay, was seen at 4:24 a.m. Sept. 6 after detectives noticed him appearing to look into cars in the parking area of one of the cottages on the J. Iverson Riddle property.

At 4:57 a.m., Garay was spotted in the field across from the Burke County Jail on Government Drive, and was taken into custody at 5 a.m., the post said.

In addition to the agencies listed above, Marion Police Department, North Carolina State Highway of Patrol, McDowell County Sheriff's Office, Morganton Department of Public Safety, Caldwell County Sheriff's Office, Catawba County Sheriff's Office, N.C. Department of Adult Correction K-9 Team, U.S. Postal Inspection, U.S. Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, U.S. Marshal's Office, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, Burke County EMS and Burke County Emergency Management all assisted with the arrest, according to the post.

At 10:22 a.m. Sept. 6, the Charlotte branch of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service posted a message on X, formerly known as Twitter, that confirmed it was involved in the investigation but provided no details.

Just before 1:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, Burke County Public Schools said it planned to close Salem Elementary, Mull Elementary, Liberty Middle, North Liberty and Patton High School buildings for students and staff due to law enforcement activity in the area.

"According to reports, law enforcement has an unresolved search for a suspect at large in the area," the school system said in the post.

In a post roughly four hours later, Burke County Public Schools said it received word the suspect had been apprehended, and said those schools would instead operate on a two-hour delay.

On the afternoon of Sept. 5, Madison County and Mars Hill law enforcement instructed Mars Hill University officials to initiate the lockdown in response to a suspected carjacking near Main Street. Mars Hill Elementary also went into lockdown. The lockdowns were lifted around 3 p.m.

The Mars Hill Police Department said in a news release that officers responded to a call for service on Spring Drive just off Main Street found "an individual with severe injuries and the theft of their vehicle."

Johnny Casey is the Madison County communities reporter for The News-Record & Sentinel, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at jcasey@newsrecordandsentinel.com.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Carjacking suspect who severely injured Mars Hill postal worker caught