JUST IN – UPDATE: State Police Recover Weapons and Arrest Juvenile for Theft of Troop Car

The New Jersey State Police have arrested a 16-year-old male who allegedly stole an unmarked troop car from a trooper’s residence in North Brunswick and then used it during the commission of two robberies and a theft at a gas station.

On Sunday, December 17, a New Jersey State Trooper reported his troop car stolen at approximately 9:39 a.m. when he discovered it missing from his driveway. The troop car contained several uniforms, two issued weapons, and other issued equipment.

Based on the preliminary investigation, detectives determined that the suspect and troop car were involved with four incidents early Sunday morning. At 5:45 a.m., a truck driver was stopped southbound on the New Jersey Turnpike near Interchange 10. The suspect identified himself as a trooper and requested money from the driver as a fine for speeding. The driver refused and the suspect drove away. The victim reported this incident the following day. At 6:50 a.m., a truck driver reported a robbery to State Police after he was stopped by the suspect using the stolen troop car on the New Jersey Turnpike southbound at milepost 74.7 in South Brunswick. During the interaction, the suspect stole cash from the driver. At 7:19 a.m., the suspect fueled the troop car at a gas station on St. George Avenue in Colonia, N.J. and left without paying. At 7:30 a.m., the suspect stopped a cab at the Woodbridge Center Mall in Woodbridge, N.J. and stole cash from the driver. No weapons were brandished during any of the incidents, and the troop car was recovered later that day in New Brunswick, N.J.

On Wednesday, December 20, detectives from the New Jersey State Police Homicide North Unit and North Brunswick Police Department arrested the accused after they developed a suspect based on forensic analysis of evidence recovered during the investigation. Later that day, investigators recovered two issued weapons, which were inside of the troop car when it was stolen, in the area of Dogwood Court in New Brunswick, N.J.

The suspect was charged with burglary, unlawful possession of a weapon (two counts), robbery, (two counts), impersonating a law enforcement officer (three counts), and theft by unlawful taking. He was lodged at the Middlesex County Juvenile Detention Center in lieu of bail.

Charges are mere accusations, and the suspect is considered innocent until proven guilty.

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