A 17-year-old boy from Newark who escaped from a juvenile detention center in Ringwood remained on the loose Tuesday after stealing a vehicle in Cedar Grove, leading police there on a chase, authorities said.

A second teen — a 13-year-old boy from Camden — was caught by police, Cedar Grove Chief Joseph Cirasa said in a statement. He faces charges, including burglary.

An officer was on patrol at 2:26 a.m. Tuesday on Route 23 south when he attempted to stop a 2018 red Volkswagen Atlas that was occupied by two people, Cirasa said. The SUV briefly pulled over. It was not until the officer exited his patrol car that the driver of the Volkswagen sped away down Harper Terrace. The Volkswagen later crashed into a utility pole, and the two inside the vehicle fled.

The officer, identified as Connor Grawehr, chased a suspect and caught him hiding in the backyard of a home on Harper Terrace, Cirasa said. Township officers blanketed the neighborhood looking another teen but were unable to find him.

Earlier, one suspect allegedly went inside a first-floor apartment in the township while the other was a lookout, Cirasa said. The residents were sleeping, and one suspect swiped a purse that had car keys inside.

“Fortunately no one was injured during their crime spree,” Cirasa said.

The teens escaped from Green Residential Community Home, a center for non-violent offenders, on Sunday morning, said Ringwood Police Chief Joseph Walker. The two then stole a vehicle there and vandalized a building.

Police in Little Falls and Wayne are also investigating the two escapees for vehicle burglaries and using stolen credit cards, Cirasa said.

The community home, on Sloatsburg Road, is on the grounds of Ringwood State Park. The center serves up to 20 residents between ages 13 and 18.

The incident marked the third time this year that teens escaped from that facility, Walker said.

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Joe Garba, superintendent of the community home, would not comment about the incident.

The state Juvenile Justice Commission deferred comment to the Attorney General's Office, which through a spokeswoman has said the incident is being reviewed.

“We haven’t had real problems there,” Walker said about the community home.

In June 2015, three juvenile offenders from Newark tackled a 71-year-old employee at the center and fled in his minivan.

At the time of that escape, state officials discussed strengthening security at the center.

Email: ortizk@northjersey.com