2 Teens Still In Custody In Edison Carjacking; Third Person Sought

EDISON, NJ — Two teens - ages 16 and 17 - remained in a juvenile detention facility as of Friday, charged in the March 15 assault and attempted carjacking at a township grocery store, police said.

The attack at the Patel Brothers store at 1681 Oak Tree Road took place at about 5 p.m. Friday, March 15. An orange Bentley SUV owned by a son of one of the grocery store owners was the object of the carjacking, police said. The owner of the car had to fend off the youths.

Meanwhile, the incident is galvanizing officials into action. Edison Mayor Sam Joshi announced that a police substation has been set up at 1655 Oak Tree Road in Edison. You can see his announcement here.

Joshi last week called the incident "appalling," and he is calling for stricter penalties and more accountability for crimes involving juveniles.

Joshi will have a press conference Monday at the new police substation. He will be joined by Mayor Jonathan Hornik of Marlboro, State PBA President Pat Colligan, Police Chief Thomas Bryan, and several victims of burglaries, home invasions, and auto thefts.

They will discuss laws involving juveniles, including calling upon the state to have juveniles who commit burglaries and/or home invasions tried as adults in court and trying juveniles in the county court where the crime was committed, not based on their place of residence.

"Current New Jersey laws are too sympathetic to perpetrators at the expense of victims," according to the mayor's office announcement of the press conference.

Regarding the youths in the Edison incident, Deputy Chief Robert Dudash outlined the charges against the two youths, who are being held in the Middlesex County Juvenile Detention Center in North Brunswick:

The 16-year-old is charged with carjacking resulting in injury, aggravated assault, burglary, conspiracy, hindering his own apprehension and resisting arrest by flight.

The 17-year-old is charged with carjacking resulting in injury, aggravated assault, burglary, and conspiracy.

The 17-year-old was arrested this week at his home in Rahway, Dudash said; the 16-year-old was arrested at the Linden NJ Transit Train Station after a foot chase. Dudash said he tried to discard his cellphone on the train tracks to destroy it, but officers retrieved the phone.

A third person is still being sought in the case and Dudash said there is a $1,000 reward posted by Middlesex County Crime Stoppers for the person. Photos of the third suspect are now posted on the department's Facebook page. The investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with information about this incident should contact Detective Chris Paone of the Edison Police Burglary Unit at 732-248-7413.