(WWJ) A 13-year-old boy is in custody after allegedly going on a multi-day crime spree involving stolen vehicles and business break-ins in Pontiac and Waterford Township.
According to the Oakland County Sheriff's Office, the trouble began last Saturday, Sept. 19, when a Chevy pickup truck was stolen from a Pontiac landscaping business and used to ram through a parking lot fence.
On Sunday, a Dodge Ram was taken from the same property and driven to a used car dealership on Cesar Chavez Avenue in Pontiac.
Deputies responding to a break-in at the dealership Sunday afternoon found forced entry, a heavily damaged Dodge Charger, and a stolen Dodge Dart missing from the lot. Surveillance video captured a suspect climbing a fence, smashing a window with a rock, and stealing several sets of keys. The suspect tried to ram through a gate with the Charger, but after the car became disabled, they abandoned it and stole the Dodge Dart instead.
From there, investigators say the stolen Dart was driven to a dealership in Waterford Township and used to crash through another gate. Detectives and Waterford Township police searched the broken-into dealership to ensure no one was inside.
Shortly after, the activity moved to a nearby dollar store, where a retail fraud occurred and two more parked vehicles were damaged during failed theft attempts.
Detectives from the Oakland County Auto Theft Task Force reviewed surveillance footage from the various crime scenes and identified the 13-year-old Pontiac resident as their suspect.
Authorities noted the teenager had previously been arrested twice in 2025 for vehicle thefts in the same communities.
Less than 24 hours after launching the investigation, detectives located and arrested the teen.
A search warrant executed at his home uncovered clothing matching what was worn during the incidents.
The boy was lodged at Children's Village, and detectives have turned over a 16-count juvenile petition to the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office as the investigation continues.
