Teen Steals Car With Toddler Inside In Union County: Police

ROSELLE, NJ — A 2-year-old child is safe, and a 16-year-old is charged with kidnapping following a car theft in Roselle on Thursday night.

Around 11:30 p.m., a Roselle resident in the 300 block of White Street had just gotten home and was bringing items inside when a 16-year-old boy stole the resident's car with a child inside, according to authorities.

Police chased the car into Elizabeth, and at some point a foot pursuit began. Within minutes, police caught the teen, authorities said.

The child was found unharmed on a sidewalk in the 1000 block of Oak Street in Roselle, said acting Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo.

The teen, who is not being identified due to his age, was charged with second-degree kidnapping, second-degree eluding police, third-degree endangering the welfare of a child, third-degree motor vehicle theft, and fourth-degree resisting arrest.

The teen remained in custody pending a Superior Court hearing.

This was believed to have been an isolated incident, with no remaining threat to the community, said Ruotolo. It was unknown whether the teen knew the child was in the car at the time of the theft.

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