Kendall Park Man Charged After Allegedly Leaving Scene of Fiery Car Crash

A Kendall Park teen is facing multiple charges after he allegedly fled the scene of a fiery auto accident Thursday morning.

Jonathan Reyes, 19, was charged with driving while intoxicated, careless driving, failure to report an accident, leaving the scene of an accident and possession of stolen property after he was allegedly involved in a single vehicle crash this morning.

At 6:27 a.m., South Brunswick Police received several 911 calls reporting a car fully engulfed in flames off Route 522 in the Monmouth Walk Development.

Officers arrived to find a black 2009 Chevy Malibu with a raging fire in the interior of the vehicle just off of Kara Boulevard.  The blaze was quickly extinguished by the Monmouth Junction Fire Department.

Shortly after the crash, a witness told police they saw a suspicious person behind an adjacent home on Jamie Court. Police said they found Reyes sitting on an air conditioning unit behind the home with cuts on his legs.

Police said that Reyes was under the influence of a controlled dangerous substance while operating his mom's car, before he lost control of the vehicle on Kara Boulevard. The vehicle then left the roadway and struck a tree, which caused it to roll over and catch fire, according to police. 

Reyes denied operating the car, which is registered to his mother. Near the scene of the crash, officers found a gas can in some bushes, which was later found to have been stolen out of a landscaping truck parked about a block away. 

Officers also found a pair of bolt cutters next to the landscaping truck that police said were used to cut off a lock to get into the trailer. The bolt cutters were linked to a Jamie Court residence, according to police, who charged Reyes with the theft.

Reyes was released to his mother pending his first court appearance.

The South Brunswick Fire Safety Bureau also assisted in the investigation.