Police: Teens crash stolen car after stealing goods from Rehoboth outlets

Three Claymont teens face charges Nov. 22 after police say they stole a car and shoplifted at the Rehoboth Beach outlets before leading police on a chase and crashing.

Delaware State Police were called at 3:19 p.m. to the Under Armour outlet on Bayside Outlet Drive for three teens who had shoplifted and fled in a Chevrolet Cruze with Pennyslvania tags, police said.

Another trooper spotted the car heading northbound on Route 1 near Melson Road, and tried to make a traffic stop but the teens continued to flee, ran a red light and continued northbound. A short time later, police said, the car drove over a median and struck another vehicle when the teens tried to turn right onto Dartmouth Drive at a high rate of speed. After the collision, police said, the driver and the two passengers exited the Chevrolet and fled on foot, disregarding all verbal commands by troopers. The driver, a 16-year-old male, and the two passengers, both 15-year-old males, were ultimately taken into custody.

Police said the teens stole over $5,000 worth of merchandise from Under Armour, Nike, and The North Face located in the Tanger Bayside Outlets. A computer inquiry of the Chevrolet’s tag showed the Pennsylvania tag was fictitious, and the vehicle was reported as stolen out of Troop 1 on Oct.14, 2023.

The teens were taken to Troop 7 and charged with felony shoplifting over $1,500, felony theft organized retail crime over $1,500, felony receiving stolen property over $1,500, felony disregarding a police officer signal, felony second-degree conspiracy, two count of shoplifting under $1,500, and resisting arrest. The 16-year-old also faces traffic violations. 

All three were committed to Stevenson House Detention Center on secured bond – the 16-year-old on $2,800 and the 15-year-olds on 2,300.