Two 13-year-old New Jersey girls are accused of taking their parent’s car on a joyride and crashing into multiple properties early Tuesday morning in Gloucester County.
Police in Washington Township said they received multiple 911 calls around 2:20 a.m. to report an SUV crashing into a condominium, some fencing and two air conditioning units along Covered Bridge Court in Canterbury Mews.
“It sounded like a bomb. I thought something crashed into my roof,” neighbor Alisa DeMayo told ABC affiliate WPVI.
Responding officers located a white SUV with front-end damage parked outside another nearby home. Officers woke up the owners of that home and found the two girls.
Officers later determined the girls had struck other homes during their joyride.
No injuries were reported and the Washington Township Building Inspector deemed the affected properties structurally safe to occupy despite the damage being described as “significant.”
“There’s no school today,” Washington Twp. Police Chief Patrick Gurcsik said. “They were allowed to stay up late, and they were bored and decided to take mom’s car for a ride around the development. We’re grateful. This could’ve ended tragically.”
The teens, who have not been identified, will receive citations likely leading to fines and community service.
The incident came roughly eight months after an unlicensed New Jersey teen went on a high-speed joyride and crashed into another car while evading police. Two people in the second car were killed and two others were injured.
