51°
Leonia Police Officer Sihoon Chung tried stopping the 2007 Hyundai Sonata for speeding on Grand Avenue around 2:30 a.m.
The 17-year-old driver from Union City turned west on Fort Lee Road and took off into Teaneck and then Bogota, Capt. Scott Tamagny said.
Chung terminated the pursuit out of safety concerns, then found the vehicle involved in a crash at the 7-Eleven next to the Valero service station off the corner of East Main Street and Palisade Avenue, the captain said.
The Hyundai slammed into the building after hitting a telephone pole and uprooting the sign, which went flying, responders said.
Teaneck and Bogota police teamed up to catch the driver and a 15-year-old passenger from North Bergen after both bailed out.
At least one other occupant fled, they said.
Both teens were issued delinquency complaints at Leonia police headquarters charging them with joyriding.
The driver also was charged with unlawful taking of a means of conveyance after police discovered he'd taken the vehicle without family consent.
Both juveniles were released to family members pending closed-door hearings in the Family Part of Superior Court in Hackensack.
The Bogota Rescue Squad secured the 7-Eleven, which the borough Building Department inspected to ensure its structural integrity.
Police, meanwhile, were working to identify other suspects.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Northern Highlands and receive free news updates.
