NJ teen charged with stealing cop car, acting as trooper during robberies

Police have arrested a 16-year-old who they say stole an unmarked State Police car from a trooper's driveway in North Brunswick before using it and the weapons inside in a series of armed robberies.

On Sunday morning, the State Police reported that the car had been stolen with several uniforms, two weapons, and other items inside.

Afterward,  at 5:45 on Sunday morning, police say the teen approached a truck driver stopped on the southbound side of the Turnpike near Exit 10. The boy identified himself as a trooper and demanded money from the driver as a fine for speeding, according to police. The driver refused and the suspect drove away.

The second incident happened an hour later when another truck driver reported he was stopped by the teen on the Turnpike in South Brunswick. Police say the suspect stole money from the driver.

Within the next 30 minutes, police say the teen stopped to refuel the car at a gas station in the Colonia section of Woodbridge and left without paying.

The teen then drove to the Woodbridge Center Mall, where police say he stopped a cab and stole cash from the driver.

State Police say the boy did not brandish a weapon during any of the incidents on Sunday.

Police arrested him Wednesday "after they developed a suspect based on forensic evidence recovered during the investigation."

Police say they found the officer's stolen weapons in New Brunswick.

The boy has been charged with burglary, unlawful possession of a weapon, robbery, impersonating a law enforcement officer, and theft by unlawful taking. He was taken to the Middlesex County Juvenile Detention Center where he was being held in lieu of bail.

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Contact reporter Adam Hochron at 609-359-5326 or Adam.Hochron@townsquaremedia.com