The teen collided with a work van, then crashed into a pole near Arm and Hammer stadium in Trenton.
TRENTON -- A 17-year-old Trenton male has been charged with several motor-vehicle offenses after driving away from a car crash, then running on foot from a second crash Tuesday morning, police said.
The teen, who was not identified by police, was charged with being an unlicensed driver, and two counts each of careless driving, leaving the scene of an accident and failure to report an accident, police said.
The crashes occurred just minutes apart at about 11 a.m., police said.
The first occurred at the intersection of Route 29 and Calhoun Street, when the sport-utility vehicle the teen was driving struck a work van in the rear, then drove away south on Route 29.
Moments later, the teen's vehicle careened into a pole, knocking it over, at River View Plaza just off Route 29.
The vehicle's airbags went off, but the teen driver and a passenger were not injured. Witnesses saw the vehicle's driver flee the crash scene on foot and run across Route 29 on Cass Street.
Police said they identified the teen driver through the vehicle's owner, who they did not identify. The owner was issued a summons for allowing the vehicle to be operated by an unlicensed driver, police said.
The occupants of the work van the teen struck stopped at the second crash and said they were following the runaway vehicle that struck them to take a picture of the license plate when they came across the crashed vehicle.
Police Officer Vincent Mistretta investigated the crash.
Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.