Teen Driving Stolen Car Hits Unmarked Newark Police Vehicle: PD

NEWARK, NJ — A teen driving a stolen car hit a Newark police detective’s unmarked vehicle on Sunday, causing non-life-threatening injuries to the officer. Both the driver and the passenger have faced criminal charges before, authorities said.

According to the Newark Department of Public Safety:

“Just after 2:25 p.m., police observed a stolen vehicle parked at Shephard Avenue near Mapes Place. Upon becoming aware of police presence, the driver sped away, heading westbound on Shephard Avenue towards Bergen Street. An unmarked police car in the area, occupied by a detective and traveling in the opposite direction, was struck by the stolen vehicle, an Audi reported stolen out of South Hampton, NY.”

Authorities said the injured officer was transported to University Hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, and is reportedly in stable condition. No other injuries were reported.

The juvenile driver and a 16-year-old passenger were apprehended at the scene of the crash and transported to University Hospital for evaluation. Each was charged with aggravated assault, receiving stolen property, obstruction of the administration of the law and resisting arrest, police said.

“I’m grateful that the officer wasn’t seriously injured,” Newark Public Safety Director Brian O’Hara said.

“It is critically important that the rest of the criminal justice system becomes more serious about the problem of juveniles in stolen cars,” O’Hara said. “Most of the stolen cars in Newark were stolen elsewhere and brought into the city, like this one – taken from South Hampton, Long Island.”

“It saddens me that both of these juvenile suspects already have criminal histories, including charges in connection with auto theft,” O’Hara added. “The driver was previously arrested for receiving stolen property, eluding, theft, credit card fraud, harassment, obstruction, resisting arrest and contempt of court. His passenger was previously arrested for joyriding.”

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