Attempted Car Thief Foiled By Manual Transmission: Police

A Burlington County teenager attempted to steal a car in West Windsor Township last week, but it appears as though his lack of driver’s ed may have thwarted his efforts. A 16-year-old boy from Willingboro is accused of attempting to steal a running car from the Princeton Terrace Apartments at about 7:23 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 4, the West Windsor Police Department said on Dec. 11.

Police believe the teen was unable to steal the car because it was equipped with a manual transmission. After failing to steal the car, he fled on foot into a waiting Ford Taurus. The Taurus then made an illegal left onto Clarksville Road South, police said. Police then intercepted the Taurus without incident, and the teenager was arrested. Police said he was also found to be in possession of 10 one gram bags of marijuana.

West Windsor police remind residents not to leave their car running with their keys in the ignition. There has been an increase in the theft of running cars with the keys inside in the area.

Over the summer, Princeton police reported that three cars were stolen and five others were broken into in one day. Recently, a car was stolen outside a nightclub in Haverford Township and recovered in Princeton. In that incident, the car was stolen while a person who was still inside the club left it running outside.

“We want our community to be as safe as possible,” West Windsor police said. “This situation could have had a much worse outcome for everyone involved. Clearly, our dispatchers and officers are at the ready if and when something happens in our township.”

Police have suggested installing a mechanical locking device — commonly called clubs, collars, or j-bars — that lock to the steering wheel, column, or brake to prevent the wheel from being turned more than a few degrees.

Image via Shutterstock