Philadelphia Tow Owner Wanted in Killings of 2 Rival Drivers

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Philadelphia Tow Owner Wanted in Killings of 2 Rival Drivers

Philadelphia detectives say a 27-year-old towing business owner is wanted on murder warrants after two rival tow truck drivers were shot and killed while working, as investigators quietly test whether a broader dispute in the city’s towing industry might link the cases to an earlier November homicide.

TLDR

Philadelphia police have identified towing business owner Najee Williams as the suspect in two separate shootings that killed tow truck drivers David Garcia Morales and Aaron Whitfield. Both were attacked while on the job, and investigators are probing whether a broader towing dispute, and possibly a November killing, may be connected.

The Philadelphia Police Department has publicly named Najee Williams, 27, as wanted in the killings of 20-year-old David Garcia Morales and 25-year-old Aaron Whitfield. In a department bulletin, officers alleged that Williams, a tow company owner and driver, was present at both scenes and committed both shootings, and they warned that he is considered armed and dangerous.

2 Killings Weeks Apart, Miles Apart

According to the Philadelphia Police Department, the first shooting unfolded on December 22nd, 2025, shortly after noon on the 4200 block of Torresdale Avenue in Northeast Philadelphia. Officers responding to the block found Morales inside a 2017 Ford F-450 Super Duty tow truck with gunshot wounds to his neck and thigh. He was taken to a nearby hospital but died four days later.

Morales, a 20-year-old tow truck driver, was working when he was shot, according to police and local reporting. There has been no public description of any encounter or dispute that may have led up to the gunfire on Torresdale Avenue, and affidavits detailing investigative steps have not been released.

The second killing occurred on January 11th, 2026, around 7:52 p.m. on the 2100 block of Knorr Street, roughly three miles from the first crime scene. Officers arriving there found Whitfield inside a tow truck with multiple gunshot wounds to his head and body. He was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

Investigators also found a 21-year-old woman who had been shot in the left leg during the Knorr Street attack. According to the department, she was transported to Jefferson Einstein Philadelphia Hospital in stable condition. Authorities have not publicly identified her or outlined why she was at the scene or whether she worked in towing.

In interviews with local media, Philadelphia Homicide Unit commanding officer Ernest Ransom said detectives were able to place Williams at both scenes and concluded that he committed both crimes. Ransom did not describe the specific evidence that led to that conclusion, such as video, witness statements, or forensic findings, and no probable cause affidavit has been published.

Police Focus on Business Feud Theory

Both Morales and Whitfield were tow truck drivers, and police say Williams owns N.K.W Towing & Recovery LLC, a towing and recovery business in the city. That overlap has shaped the early theory that investigators are willing to describe in public. According to reporting by Law&Crime and NBC Philadelphia, officers have suggested that the shootings may be tied to a dispute over towing territory or business.

Speaking to NBC Philadelphia, Ransom said detectives are also examining a separate November 2025 killing for a possible connection. He stated, “We believe there’s some kind of connection there. We’re not ready to go on record to say this is a part of that homicide, but we are working towards that direction.” Officials have not publicly named the November victim or confirmed that case as part of the same pattern.

So far, no charging documents have been made public in a court docket, because Williams had not been arrested when police issued the wanted notice. The department’s bulletin lists the offenses he is wanted for as murder in the deaths of Morales and Whitfield, violation of the Uniform Firearms Act, conspiracy, possessing instruments of crime, and recklessly endangering another person.

Beyond the suggestion of a business feud, investigators have not released a detailed narrative of how the shootings unfolded, who else may have been present at each scene, or whether any alleged co-conspirators have been identified. That leaves essential questions unanswered: what contact, if any, occurred between the alleged gunman and the victims before shots were fired, and how long potential tensions inside the towing industry had been building.

Victims Remembered Beyond Towing Dispute

Even as detectives try to map out a possible commercial motive, families of the two men have tried to center the losses themselves. Whitfield’s mother, Kimberly Randleman, told NBC Philadelphia that her son was simply doing his job when he was killed on Knorr Street. “For Aaron to be murdered on the streets of Philadelphia while he was working, it’s unbelievable,” she said. “It’s not fair. It’s not fair.”

In a GoFundMe organized to help pay for funeral and related costs, relatives described Whitfield as “a playful, hardworking individual who was loved dearly.” The fundraiser mirrors what friends and family often seek to document in such cases: that his identity was far larger than his role in a developing criminal investigation.

Morales’ obituary at a Philadelphia funeral home painted a similar picture. He was remembered as “a beloved son, brother, grandson, uncle and friend.” The tribute added that he was “known for his social nature and amazing personality, bringing light and laughter wherever he went” and that he “cared deeply about everyone and had a genuine heart that touched all who knew him.”

These public remembrances emphasize young men who were embedded in families and neighborhoods, not only in a competitive and sometimes contentious industry. They also underscore a gap between the broad strokes of a potential business feud and the granular harm to specific households that now confront funerals, medical bills, and lasting grief.

Manhunt, Public Warnings, and Open Questions

In its public announcement, the Philadelphia Police Department labeled Williams “armed and dangerous” and cautioned residents not to approach him. Instead, the department urged anyone who sees him or has information on his whereabouts to contact homicide detectives. A $20,000 reward has been offered for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in the case.

That reward is a standard tool in high-priority homicide investigations, signaling that police believe community tips may be crucial in locating the suspect or filling in missing pieces about his movements before and after the shootings. Authorities have not indicated whether they think Williams is still in the Philadelphia area or has left the region.

Because there has been no arrest, there is not yet a court-filed narrative that must withstand cross-examination and legal challenge. The public picture of the case is still anchored in police statements, a wanted bulletin, and brief interviews with one homicide commander. Defense attorneys have not had an opportunity in open court to contest the allegations, question the strength of the identification evidence, or offer an alternative account of the shootings.

There are also unresolved questions about the alleged link to towing disputes. Officials have not laid out how business rivalries in the city’s towing sector operate in practice, which companies or drivers have clashed in the past, or how many recent violent incidents tied to the industry are under review. The mention of a November killing, investigated alongside the Morales and Whitfield cases but not yet formally connected, highlights how tentative that theory remains.

What is public and verifiable at this stage is narrower, but serious. Two tow truck drivers, both in their 20s, were shot and killed while at work on city streets in December 2025 and January 2026. A third person was wounded. Police have identified a fellow tow operator, Williams, as the suspect in both homicides, have warned that he is dangerous, and have offered a substantial reward aimed at securing his arrest and conviction.

Whether investigators ultimately tie these killings to an earlier November homicide, and whether the evidence behind the business-feud theory holds up in court, will depend on what is documented in future filings and tested through adversarial proceedings. Until an arrest is made and charges are litigated in a courtroom, the most basic questions remain unresolved: who, precisely, pulled the trigger in each attack, and how a workplace rivalry in the towing industry may have escalated into multiple killings on Philadelphia streets.