NEWARK, N.J. (PIX11) — A 15-year-old carjacking suspect was shot by police during a confrontation in Newark Tuesday morning, officials said.
The suspect and a 17-year-old passenger traveled in the stolen vehicle from Asbury Park to Newark, police said. The teens took the vehicle after the owner left it running outside.
According to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, police were called to a home on Lyons Avenue for a report of a suspicious vehicle. As a police officer approached the car, the driver tried to use the vehicle as a weapon, and the officer responded by firing shots.
"The car immediately tried to take off," Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said, "going toward the officers."
After the shots were fired, the car careened into a nearby home, police said.
The 15-year-old boy sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was taken to a hospital and underwent surgery. He's described as being in stable condition. The 17-year-old boy — who tried to flee the scene on foot — was taken into custody, per the prosecutor's office.