Marlboro, Edison Mayors Decry 'Coddling' Of Juvenile Car Thieves

EDISON, NJ — The mayors of Edison and Marlboro joined forces Monday to demand the state enact stronger laws against juvenile car thieves.

Two teens - ages 16 and 17 - remained in a juvenile detention facility, charged last week in the March 15 assault and attempted carjacking at the Patel Brothers store at 1681 Oak Tree Road recently.

Now a third juvenile has been arrested, a 17-year-old from Rahway.

An orange Bentley SUV owned by a son of one of the grocery store owners was the object of the carjacking try at about 5 p.m. March 15, police said. The owner of the car - a son of one of the owners - had to fend off the youths and ran away with his key fob.

The incident has sparked calls by Joshi for stiffer consequences for juveniles charged in such cases, and Marlboro Mayor Hornik came out to support him at a joint news conference on Monday.

"Now three years into New Jersey’s statewide auto theft crisis, towns are still largely fending for themselves without any meaningful leadership from Trenton," Hornik said.

"In Marlboro, we have implemented numerous initiatives to help protect our citizens and deter thieves, and I am proud to say, with some measurable successes." But he said those are only temporary fixes.

"State law must impose real consequences for bad actors, and this includes minors. Giving anyone, old or young, a free pass on committing a crime is bad policy, setting a terrible example for society at large, at great expense to the health, safety and well-being of law-abiding citizens in our communities," Hornik said.

Joshi meanwhile has established a police substation at 1655 Oak Tree Road in Edison - the same street as the grocery. You can see his announcement here.

Joshi recently called the incident "appalling," and he has been calling for stricter penalties and more accountability for crimes involving juveniles.

Joshi and Hornik's press conference took place at the new substation, joined by other law enforcement officials and victims of these crimes.

Joshi is 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.

Regarding the youths in the Edison incident, Deputy Chief Robert Dudash on Friday outlined the charges against two of the three 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.

No information was available Monday night on the third person, also 17, arrested, but there had been a $1,000 reward posted for him. Photos of the third juvenile had been posted on the department's Facebook page. The investigation is ongoing.

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