A teen driver in New Jersey has found himself in a world of trouble after he struck a group of students with an SUV. Surveillance footage shows him losing control of the vehicle and running over the curb onto the sidewalk. Police discovered that the teenager did not have permission to drive the vehicle and did not have a valid driver’s license. Even worse, the teen reportedly tried to flee the scene of the crash before being detained by several bystanders.
Video shows teen driver losing control of SUV
On October 6 at around 2:11 p.m., police arrested a 16-year-old driver after he plowed through six students near Lindenwold High School with a silver Cadillac Escalade, according to several reports from ABC, NBC Philadelphia, and NJ.com. Authorities have not released the name of the teenager because he is a minor.
Footage taken from a surveillance camera shows the teen driver suddenly unable to control the SUV while near the 400 block of Gibbsboro Road. The vehicle veered right and over the curb into a group of six juveniles, whose ages range from 14 to 16 years old. The Escalade then breaks through a wire fence and comes to a halt.
Shortly after the crash, bystanders that reportedly included other students and crossing guards can be seen surrounding the vehicle in an effort to help the victims.
According to a statement from the Lindenwold Police Department on October 6, officers arrived on the scene to find one of the victims trapped underneath the SUV and the other five pedestrians injured. A witness of the crash, Connor Piotrowski, said that a girl’s left leg was pinned beneath the vehicle. He also said that the driver attempted to flee from the scene.
Bystanders says teenager tried to run away before they detained him
In an interview with NBC10, bystander Dennis Woodley Jr. said that he performed a citizen’s arrest after the teen driver tried to run away.
“I see the kids panicking, so I automatically, I try to go in there and control the situation, see what’s going on,” he said. “And then me and my coworkers seen the person who ran the kids over trying to escape the scene.”
He continued, “My coworker pulled him out of the car, and he started fighting us. After he starting fighting us, I said, I gotta take over, because you know what, I mean, I’m the older one here … So I restrained him. I put him in a full nelson. I said, ‘You’re under citizen’s arrest.’ I said, ‘You’re not leaving till the police get here.'”
Police said that two occupants from the SUV were detained at the scene and that fire and rescue personnel were able to lift the vehicle safely to free the trapped victim. That individual was transported by medical helicopter to Cooper University Hospital. The other five victims were also transported to area hospitals for medical treatment. No fatalities have been reported, and all of the victims are expected to physically recover.
The 16-year-old driver was arrested and booked at the Camden County Juvenile Detention Center. He faces one count of second-degree aggravated assault, six counts of third-degree aggravated assault, and one count of joyriding.
Sources told NBC10 that the teenager did not have a valid driver’s license and that the SUV was not reported stolen. New Jersey residents need to be 17 years of age to get a driver’s license, though they can obtain a special learner’s permit at age 16.
Police are continuing their investigation into the incident, but they do not believe that the crash was the result of reckless driving and say that the accident was not intentional.
Still, officials at Lindenwold High School discussed safe driving and support resources with their students, according to student Arturo Caselin who says he knows one of the victims.
“They sat us down and told us just to be mindful if we’re ever going to drive, be careful on the streets,” Caselin told ABC News. “We may think we’re good drivers, but we’re really not. And if we ever need help, there’s counselors here to talk to us.”
