A 13-year-old boy was arrested after connected to more than a dozen car thefts or burglaries in New Jersey during a span of just over two weeks, according to police.
The unidentified teen, who lives in Jersey City, was taken into custody around 8:30 p.m. Monday after a woman told police she heard a loud noise before witnessing her Hyundai being driven away from the area of Islandview Court. After police arrived to investigate, officers noticed broken window glass on the street where the car was parked, along with another Hyundai that was unoccupied and had its engine running.
That second vehicle too had a broken side window, police said, and the steering wheel appeared to have been tampered with. The car matched the description of a vehicle that had been stolen earlier in the day and that police had been looking for.
Shortly after, the car stolen from Islandview Court was spotted speeding nearby, but when police went to make a stop, the driver tried to get away. However, police said he turned onto a dead end street, so he abandoned the vehicle there and took off running trough a courtyard. Officers soon caught up with him and took him into custody in a backyard.
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Following an investigation, officers connected the suspect to a total of 14 reported vehicle thefts starting on Feb. 16, according to Bayonne Police. Each one of the stolen vehicles was either a Hyundai or a Kia, and the suspect allegedly swiped multiple cars on certain days. All of the stolen cars also had broken side windows and some had steering wheels tampered with.
In all, the teen faces 41 charges, including motor vehicle theft, burglary, criminal mischief, receiving stolen property and resisting arrest. Attorney information was not clear for the 13-year-old suspect.
