Teen Drove Through Building in Stolen Car, Cops Say

A Wharton teenager was charged with theft and criminal mischief Saturday after police said he drove a stolen car into the Willow Grove Laundromat in Hackettstown.

The 16-year-old driver and his 15-year-old passenger, both of whom were not named by police, were both charged with criminal mischief, according to Sgt. Darren Tynan, but the driver was also charged with unlawful means of taking a motor vehicle, burglary, underage driving while intoxicated and issued other summonses. The 15-year-old was also charged with unlawful means of taking a motor vehicle and theft, Tynan said.

Police arrived at the laundromat just before 7 a.m. where they found a car had struck the building, Tynan said. When officers arrived they determined that the driver had stolen the car from a home in Hackettstown, Tynan said. 

During their investigation, police learned that the driver had driven the vehicle into the bushes initially, then while backing up had struck the building, and then struck a street sign. 

Tynan said the driver then left the car in the roadway on Route 604. The two teenagers were found walking on Willow Grove Street. The officer who found them said they smelled of alcohol, Tynan said.

Both were transported to the police station and later released.

For questions on this report, email ariana.cohn-sheehan@patch.com.