Alleged Carjacker Shot in Confrontation With Cops

A Newark police officer shot and wounded a suspected carjacker Monday morning after the vehicle was spotted near Abinger Place and Sunset Avenue, the department said in a statement.

The shooting occurred shortly after 9:30 a.m. as officers were following the car, a Subaru reported carjacked from the 100 block of Oliver Street, Sgt. Ronald Glover said.

As police were trying to arrest the occupants, the driver of the vehicle backed up in the direction of the officers, Glover said. An officer, who was out of his car, then fired his weapon once, striking one of the carjackers in the leg. Another occupant of the vehicle was arrested at the scene.

The carjacker's injuries were non-life-threatening and he was hospitalized Monday in stable condition, Glover said.

Glover declined to identify the officer involved or those arrested, but the Essex County Prosecutor's Office said the two arrested Monday are both 15-year-old Newark residents. They have been charged with carjacking, aggravated assault on a police officer, receiving stolen property and weapons offenses.

The shooting is under investigation by the Newark Police Department’s Office of Professional Standards and the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.

On Saturday, three people, including two other 15-year-olds, were arrested on carjacking charges following a police pursuit through the city.