Police from four separate towns spent hours tracking down a supposedly missing 4-year-old boy who didn't exist
TRENTON - A Trenton man has been charged with creating false public alarm after police departments from four separate towns spent hours Wednesday looking for a missing 4-year-old child who didn't exist, police said.
A file photo of a Trenton police car Jason Morton, 38, reported that a 4-year-old boy was asleep in his car when it was towed away, sparking police from Trenton, Ewing, Hopewell and Lawrence to begin searching for the boy for two hours before Morton finally confessed that there was no child and he made up the whole story, Lt. Stephen Varn said.
Morton's Cadillac SUV broke down Wednesday morning in Trenton. He called a local towing service to come get the car. But he refused to get out of the car, along with his two dogs, Varn said.
The tow truck driver told Morton he could not move the car with passengers inside. Morton objected and the two argued, Varn said.
Eventually, Morton got out of the vehicle, while the argument continued. The dogs were still inside the car when the tow truck driver left. The driver called police to report the incident as he drove away, Varn said.
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Morton also called police, but his version of the incident was different, Varn said. He told 911 operators that the tow truck driver just left with his car and that his 4-year-old son was asleep in the back seat, Varn said.
Trenton police went to the tow yard, and found only Morton's dogs, Varn said.
Trenton Animal control was called and took the dogs away, Varn said. Police began a search and went to Morton's mother's house on Anderson Street, Varn said.
The woman told police she hoped they would find the boy, Varn said.
"She basically went along with the story,'' Detective Scott Peterson said.
Morton said it was possible that his girlfriend, who lives in Ewing, actually dropped the child off at day care, also in Ewing, Varn said.
Ewing police were dispatched to the woman's house. No one was home and no child was found. The woman works in Hopewell, so Hopewell police were dispatched to her office, Varn said.
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Morton and Trenton police drove to the daycare center in Ewing where the child supposedly attends. Workers there had no idea what police were talking about and no child fitting the description was enrolled there, Varn said.
Meanwhile, police made contact with the girlfriend in Hopewell. She said that Morton's child is 16 years old, not 4, and attends school in Lawrence, Varn said.
Lawrence police were dispatched to the boy's school and found him attending class, Varn said.
Morton was charged with creating a false public alarm, hindering, and making a false report. He was released on $2,500 bail, according to police records.
The investigation is continuing, Varn said.
Keith Brown may be reached at kbrown@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @KBrownTrenton. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.