2 teens arrested in NJ grocery carjacking, 3rd suspect on the run

🔴 The son of the owner of Patel Brothers was carjacked in the store's parking lot

🔴 The attempted carjackers ran to a nearby train station and escaped via train

🔴 Edison Mayor Sam Joshi continues his call to toughen juvenile crime penalties

EDISON — Two of the three teens sought by police in an attempted carjacking in the parking lot of the Patel Brother’s food market are in custody with a reward being offered to find the third.

Police Chief Thomas Bryan said the teens dragged the driver out of a Bentley SUV and assaulted him looking for the key fob in order to steal the car. The fob remained in the pocket of the victim who is the son of the store's owner. The trio ran away and caught a train at the Metropark train station.

Two of the teens, ages 16 and 17, from neighboring Rahway, were found on Thursday, according to Bryan. They are being held at the Middlesex County Juvenile Detention Center. They have both been charged with carjacking resulting in injury, aggravated assault, burglary and criminal conspiracy.

The 16-year-old is also charged with hindering his apprehension and resisting arrest by flight because he ran when police were trying to arrest him, according to Bryan.

"My detectives did an outstanding job. Very proud of them," Bryan told New Jersey 101.5.

Bryan did not yet know if they had a criminal record.

ALSO READ: Attempted kidnapping of girl ends in Toms River, NJ crash

Reward offered for the apprehension of third suspect

Crime Stoppers of Middlesex County is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the third teen's arrest. He is described as a Black male wearing a white T-shirt, gray hooded sweatshirt, black sneakers and black pants at the time of the incident.

Mayor Sam Joshi continued his message that the state needs to make changes to its juvenile justice system in order to stop these crimes.

"I will not rest until additional reforms that we need on a state level are in place to deter these crimes from occurring," Joshi said in a statement.

Joshi was part of a meeting Tuesday with state Attorney General Matt Platkin and other Middlesex County mayors and police chiefs about car thefts and burglaries. The mayor has challenged fellow Democrats to increase criminal penalties and toughen "accountability" for juveniles who are convicted of serious crimes including home invasion, robbery, and auto theft.

The mayor said that the Legislature needs to change the classification of burglaries and home invasions and to move juvenile Family Court hearings to the county where the crime took place instead of the suspects' home counties.

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