Newark Police arrested of a 13-year-old Newark boy today who was driving a car that matched the description of a stolen vehicle used in what was described by Newark police as a robbery in Maplewood.
The boy was arrested around 4:00 a.m. Friday by detectives patrolling near South Orange Avenue and South 18th Street in Newark when they saw the teen driving a white Ford Edge with temporary tags. When police tried to stop the vehicle, the teenager tried to escape by reversing the SUV and crashing into a fence. Police caught the teen after a short foot chase.
Three keys fobs belonging to other automobiles were found on the teen matching those of vehicles that were either carjacked or had their keys taken during an attempted carjacking, said Newark police. Newark detectives are investigating the 13-year-old’s possible link to incidents in Maplewood and in Orange.
The 13-year old was charged with three counts of Receiving Stolen Property, Criminal Mischief, Eluding, and Resisting Arrest. He was released to the custody of a relative.
Newark police did not describe the alleged Maplewood robbery in which the teen is a suspect.
Village Green has reached out to Maplewood police to ask whether this arrest is related to an incident that occurred at approximately 9:30 p.m. on October 13, when a Warren Road resident reported an attempted carjacking. The woman told Maplewood police that as she entered her car, which was parked on the street, a white SUV pulled up next to her and a man exited the passenger side. According to the woman, the man grabbed her door to prevent her from closing it and began yelling “get out, get out, get out.” When she screamed, the man got back into his vehicle and fled the scene. The woman described her attacker as a black male in his early 20s with a thin build, wearing a white hooded sweatshirt. She reported that he did not demand her belongings or announce a robbery. The woman was uninjured.
At this time, it has not been confirmed that the two incidents are related.
