Rahway teens arrested, third still being sought in Edison attempted carjacking
EDISON – Two Rahway teens, ages 16 and 17, have been arrested in the attempted carjacking last week outside the Patel Brothers grocery store.
Police said the teens were arrested Wednesday, and one of them was chased by police from Rahway into Linden, while a third suspect is still being sought.
Police Chief Thomas Bryan said the 16-year-old has been charged with aggravated assault, attempted carjacking resulting in injuries, burglary, conspiracy, hindering his own apprehension and resisting arrest by flight. The 17-year-old has been charged with carjacking resulting in injury, aggravated assault, burglary and criminal conspiracy.
Both were being held at the Middlesex County Juvenile Detention Center pending a detention hearing. No date had been set for the hearing, Bryan said.
Mayor Sam Joshi said the "incredible work" by the Edison Police Department led to the arrests.
"The swift apprehension of these violent juveniles would not have been possible without the support and collaboration with NJ Transit and Rahway Police Departments," Joshi said in a Facebook post. "I will not rest until additional reforms that we need on a state level are in place to deter these crimes from occurring."
Bryan said NJ Transit and Rahway police assisted Edison authorities in identifying the suspects. NJ Transit had video of the suspects on the train platform at MetroPark station after they left the grocery store, the chief said, adding a Rahway school resource officer also helped identify the teens.
Bryan said the arrests resulted from the collective effort of Edison detectives and some patrol officers.
"I couldn't be prouder of them," he said.
Around 4:55 p.m. March 15, three men approached a Bentley SUV with the driver's door open at the grocery store at 1681 Oak Tree Road and dragged a man out of the vehicle, police said.
Video surveillance showed the driver trying to fight off the three suspects.
The suspects attempted to steal the SUV, but the victim was able to run away with the key fob, according to police.
Bryan said the victim was treated at Hackensack Meridian Health JFK Medical Center after hitting his head during the altercation.
The suspects fled on foot down Oak Tree Road toward Woodbridge, police said.
Mayor Joshi responded by calling on the governor and state legislators to enact stricter criminal penalties and more accountability for juveniles who are convicted of serious crimes such as home invasions, robberies and auto thefts.
The mayor also stressed the need for detaining repeat offenders pending trial, greater discretion for bail sentencing, changing the classification to increase the severity of certain crimes and addressing the backlog that allows prosecutors to impose longer criminal sentences for juveniles.
Joshi said he’s increased police patrols, installed license plate readers to deter crime and created an Oak Tree Road police substation.
The investigation is continuing as police work to identify the third suspect. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Christian Paone at 732-248-7413 or cpaone@edisonpd.org.
Email: srussell@gannettnj.com
Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Edison NJ carjacking suspects arrested
