Teen Driving Stolen SUV Killed Along With NJ Woman: Princeton PD

PRINCETON, NJ — A 15-year-old Newark teen and a 61-year-old Kendall Park woman were killed Sunday following a head-on collision that took place after police said the teen driver had stolen the vehicle they were driving from a Princeton neighborhood just a short time before, police said Monday.

Police have not identified the 15-year-old who was behind the wheel of a Jeep Grand Cherokee that was later determined to be stolen from Pequannock Township Sunday afternoon, Princeton police said. Police said that the teen crossed a double yellow line and collided head-on with a vehicle driven by Jodi Marcou, 61, of Kendall Park.

The accident took place after police were called to the 100 block of Clover Lane in Princeton for the report of an attempted stolen vehicle. The victim told police that three people attempted to steal the vehicle, which was parked in the driveway of the home.

All three suspects had been traveling in the Jeep Grand Cherokee, which was seen traveling west on Clover Lane while police were investigating the report of the attempted stolen car, police said Monday. The Grand Cherokee was seen being followed by a Range Rover, which police said had just been reported stolen from a home on Dodds Lane.

Police began to chase both vehicles on Clover Lane before the Jeep Grand Cherokee traveled in a different direction. The Range Rover then picked up speed after the officer attempted to pull the vehicle over. However, police abandoned the chase on Snowden Lane due to the erratic driving pattern of the driver, police said. The vehicle was later found abandoned in Newark.

At 1:09 p.m., officers were called to Princeton-Kingston Road near Carnegie Drive for the report of a crash. Both the 15-year-old driver of the Jeep and Marcou were pronounced dead at the scene following the head-on collision, police said.

A 14-year-old passenger in the Jeep was taken to Capitol Health Regional Medical Center, where the teen is in critical condition.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Princeton Police Department and Traffic Safety bureau supervisor Sgt. Thomas Murray at (609) 921-2100 ext. 1879. The incident remains under investigation by Princeton Police and the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office.