Joyriding Camden Teen Leads Collingswood Police on Brief Chase

A Collingswood man who left his vehicle running while he brought a few things inside the house returned to find his car gone, the victim of an apparent joyrider.

At 12:10 p.m. on June 19, Collingswood police got a call from a resident of the 100 block of the White Horse Pike who reported that his 2004 Jeep Liberty had been stolen from his driveway.

Detectives in the area spotted the vehicle traveling on Collings Avenue and fired up their lights, signaling to pull over. Police say the driver made a quick turn, running up on the curb and hitting a parked car. He then fled the vehicle.

Police established a perimeter and pursued the suspect on foot, eventually apprehending a 15 year-old juvenile male from Camden City. Because the teenager was underage, no identifying information can be provided about his identity.

The teen was hit with a slew of motor vehicle offenses, including: auto theft, failure to wear a seatbelt, leaving the scene of an accident, driving without a license, and careless driving.

The arrestee was in a foster home as a ward of the state, and so was remanded to the New Jersey Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS).

Both the parked car and the one the teen was alleged to have been driving sustained significant front-end damage and had to be towed from the scene, police said.