By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
The attempted theft of a car that had been left with its motor running outside of its owner’s home was foiled when the would-be car thief discovered it had a manual transmission, and By he did not know how to shift gears, according to the West Windsor Township Police Department.
Police officers responded to a call shortly after 7 a.m. Dec. 4 when a caller reported that someone was trying to steal a car at the Princeton Terrace apartment complex, off Clarksville Road.
The would-be thief, who was described as a black male who was wearing gold sneakers, fled on foot after he found that he could not drive the car, police said. He got into a Ford Taurus that was waiting nearby, and drove off.
The get-away car made an illegal left turn onto Clarksville Road from the apartment complex. Officers were able to intercept the car.
A 16-year-old boy who was riding in the car and who was determined to be the thief was taken into custody. He was also found to have 10 one-gram baggies of marijuana in his possession, police said.
This is not the first theft or attempted theft of a car that had been left with the motor running and unattended, police said. There has been a rise in this type of theft, and owners should not leave the car unattended with the motor running.
