Teen steals purse, SUV from Lakewood, NJ banquet hall

LAKEWOOD —The father of a 14-year-old was issued a summons after his son stole an SUV from the parking lot of a catering hall Monday night.

A woman reported to police around midnight that her 2017 Toyota RAV 4 was missing from the Lake Terrace Catering Hall, according to police Lt. Greg Staffordsmith.

As officers responded, the Lakewood Civilian Safety Watch reported they had located the SUV about 5 miles away on Park Avenue.

The Lakewood Scoop reported that witnesses said the teen stole a purse from the Hall and that the  SUV had also sustained damage from a crash by the teen. A picture of the SUV shows damage to the bumper on the driver's side but it's not clear when the damage occurred.

Members of the Civilian Watch returned the teen and the SUV back to the hall where the owner of the SUV declined to press charges. Police issued a summons to the teen's father for his son being in violation of Lakewood's 10 p.m. curfew for teens under 17.

Dan Alexander is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dan.alexander@townsquaremedia.com

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