UPDATE: After Report Of Child In Car Trunk, Bergen County Officials Find Culprit(s)

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — If you see something, say something — that's what a Bergen County resident did on Saturday after believing he or she had witnessed someone putting a child into the trunk of a red Toyota.

But there's no reason to be alarmed, said the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office in a release issued Monday evening.

The confusion started on Saturday when a resident reached out to the Washington Township police to say they'd seen a "white female party, in her mid 30s, brown hair, medium build, get out of a dark red/maroon colored Toyota sedan (possibly Camry or Corolla)." The witness told police that the woman appeared to help a child, possibly 7 or 8 years old, get into the trunk of the car. In a press release issued Saturday, police said they were looking for the car.

But Monday after 5 p.m., the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office issued an update saying their investigation had concluded.

Prosecutors said that their Child Abduction Response Team had become involved in the case late on Saturday.

"Using surveillance camera footage from the area, detectives were able to locate the owner of the vehicle on Sunday, February 4, 2024," prosecutors said Monday. "It was confirmed by detectives that both the driver and passenger were consenting teenagers, one of whom entered the trunk on purpose before exiting it shortly thereafter."

But this isn't something people should just forget about, officials said.

Prosecutors said in their release that they wanted to remind parents and teenagers of the responsibility of driving, "and ensuring everyone’s safety in a vehicle should always be paramount."

The release said that Prosecutor Mark Musella encouraged bystanders "to always report suspicious activity to police without delay, and he would like to thank the Township of Washington Police Department for its assistance in the investigation."

You can see the original release from the Washington Township Police here.