Charges are pending against a 13-year-old suspect after authorities reported multiple vehicle thefts and business break-ins over the weekend in Oakland County.
An investigation by the Oakland County Auto Theft Task Force led detectives to a 13-year-old boy who authorities say had already been arrested twice for vehicle theft.
Car thefts in Pontiac, Waterford Township
The backstory:
The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office says a series of crimes reported over the weekend in Pontiac and Waterford Township may be connected.
Authorities reported the following crimes:
- Two vehicles stolen from a landscaping company
- Break-ins and property damage at two car dealerships
- A vehicle taken from a dealership in Waterford Township
- Several vehicles damaged during attempted thefts at different locations
- Retail fraud reported at a dollar store
Authorities have taken a 13-year-old suspect into custody.
What we know:
The sheriff’s office said someone stole a Chevrolet pickup truck from a Pontiac landscaping company on Saturday, Sept. 19, then used the vehicle to crash through a fenced parking lot.
The following day, the same landscaping company reported another theft involving a Dodge Ram.
On Sunday, authorities received a report of a break-in at a car dealership on Cesar Chavez Avenue. According to authorities, the suspect climbed over a fence, used a rock to break a window and took several sets of vehicle keys. The suspect then attempted to drive a Dodge Charger through a gate. The Charger sustained significant damage and was left behind before the suspect stole a Dodge Dart from the lot.
The stolen Dodge Dart was later taken to a dealership in Waterford Township, where authorities said it was used to ram another gate.
The sheriff’s office said a retail fraud incident then occurred at a nearby dollar store. Two more vehicles in the parking lot were damaged during unsuccessful attempts to steal them.
Authorities have not provided additional details about the retail fraud they say occurred at the store.
Video perspective:
Surveillance footage captured the Pontiac dealership break-in and other reported crimes, helping police identify the suspect as a 13-year-old boy from Pontiac.
Authorities are not releasing the video because of the suspect’s age.
13-year-old in custody
The sheriff’s office located the boy and took him into custody. The juvenile has not been identified and remains at Oakland County Children’s Village.
Authorities submitted a 16-count petition to the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office for review.
According to the sheriff’s office, authorities had already arrested the suspect twice in 2025 in connection with vehicle thefts in Pontiac and Waterford Township.
What they’re saying:
“Stealing a car, unlawful driving away of an automobile – that’s a serious felony. A lot of issues (here) with property damage and theft. All of those, if you’re an adult, can send you to prison, literally, especially when you’re a repeat offender, which he already is, at the age of 13,” Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard told us.
“Unfortunately, I think the probate court is going to take a much sterner hand on him because the path he’s headed on, … grand theft auto does not have a good path for his future.”
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