A night of theft and destruction in Stafford is traced to two teens from Barnegat Light.

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Stafford police say the 15- and 17-year-old boys face appearances in Ocean County Juvenile Court for what they described as an all-night crime spree that unfolded after midnight on April 5.

It began at a Wawa on Route 72 at about 1:20 AM, where two juveniles were reported to have tried and failed at shoplifting, running into nearby woods before patrol officers arrived, police said.

Shortly after that, officers responding to a burglar alarm at Ray's New York Pizza on Millcreek Road found signs of forced entry and missing merchandise. A search of the area turned up a van belonging to Bagels and Beyond on William Cook Boulevard, with a flat tire and the keys still in the ignition, police said

This was followed by the looting of several unlocked vehicles around William Cook Boulevard and Jane Drive, and the theft of a 2004 Lincoln Town Car, police said. The car ended up mired in sand in an unpaved section of Breakers Drive in Barnegat. When officers arrived, all the windows had been smashed, police said.

The teens were identified, questioned and charged with two counts each of motor vehicle theft, burglary, and criminal mischief, and one count of conspiracy.

Additionally, the younger suspect was charged with aggravated assault on a police officer and resisting arrest. The teen attacked Patrolman Allen Jillison with a chair and tried escaping custody at a house in Barnegat Light, police said. The officer sustained a laceration on a leg and knee injuries.

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