HACKENSACK — A 15-year-old who wanted to take his girlfriend for a ride in his mom's car made up an elaborate story to try to get out of wrecking the car, police said.

The incident happened on April 7 when the boy and his mother reported an armed carjacking, according to police. The mother's car had been abandoned after a single-car crash and it was recovered by the State Police, with the boy maintaining that a carjacker had pointed a gun at him and ordered him out of the car.

Police determined the boy had actually crashed the car on the way to Jersey City and abandoned the car on the Turnpike. When the investigation was over, the boy and his mother apologized. They were charged with making false reports to law enforcement and obstructing the administration of law.

"This incident serves as a reminder to the public, to be truthful when reporting matters to Law Enforcement Officials or face criminal charges," police said in a statement. "The police resources, time and manpower utilized during this investigation was expansive and could have been directed toward other priority investigations that held validity."

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