The 17-year-old exchanged gunshots with the police officer early this morning and was wounded at least once before getting into a waiting stolen getaway vehicle that crashed, ejecting him, prosecutors say.
Prosecutors say a northern New Jersey teenager died after he tried to carjack an off-duty Newark police officer, which led to a shootout with the officer and a failed getaway that ended with a car crash.Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn Murray said the officer, whose name wasn't disclosed, was confronted about 5:15 this morning in Newark's Vailsburg section by 17-year-old Vincent Owens, of Newark.
The officer and Owens then exchanged gunshots, and Owens was struck at least once before he got into a waiting stolen getaway vehicle with several other people inside. But it soon crashed, and Owens was ejected.
Owens died a short time later at a hospital. But it's not clear if he died from his gunshot wounds or injuries suffered in the crash.
The officer was treated at the hospital for shock and released.
The other people who were in the car with Owens fled the scene after the crash and remained at large this afternoon. Authorities said they found one gun at the shooting scene and another inside the getaway car, but further details on the weapons and the shooting were not immediately disclosed.
The shooting will be reviewed by the prosecutor's office, which is standard policy in officer-involved shootings.