Maplewood Police have charged a 13-year-old Newark boy with carjacking, robbery and conspiracy in an October 16 incident on Oakview Avenue in which a 64-year-old woman was attacked and her BMW stolen. The woman was reportedly hospitalized with a broken hip.
In connection with the incident, 22-year-old Newark resident Justin Knight also was arrested on an outstanding court violation warrant.
“The Maplewood Police Department and [its] detectives have been working diligently to solve the carjacking from last week,” said Sgt. Christopher Black in a press release Monday. “Through their efforts, they have been able to develop probable cause as well as get complaint approval from the [Essex County] Prosecutor’s Office in order to charge a 13 year old.”
Newark Police had initially arrested the 13-year-old on October 14 in connection with a carjacking in the Northward; however, although the boy was being investigated for his involvement in carjackings in Orange, Maplewood and Newark and allegedly had three key fobs matching the makes of vehicles stolen or attempted to be stolen, the court ordered police to release the teen to the custody of a relative.
Maplewood detectives then arrested the boy on October 16 for being in possession of an iPhone taken during the incident and an outstanding Newark warrant, and Newark Police then charged him with the carjacking in that city. At the time, however, Black said there was not yet enough evidence for Maplewood police to charge him in connection with the Oakview Avenue carjacking.
The investigation is ongoing and the area is being given extra attention by patrol units, said Black. Village Green has asked Black if Knight is also expected to be charged in the incident; he said the investigation was still active and at this time, “no one else has been charged.”
