A New Jersey mother is facing an obstruction charge after police found her missing 17-year-old son concealed in a crawl space inside her home, authorities said this week.
The investigation began Tuesday evening, when the boy’s father reported that his son had failed to arrive for a scheduled drop-off. The teen’s mother, Jennifer Buckley, allegedly told officers that he was not in the house and that she did not know where he was.
Buckley also reportedly told police that her son did not want to go to his father’s home and raised concerns that he could pose a danger to himself.
“The East Brunswick Police Department initiated an extensive effort to locate the juvenile,” the department said. “Patrol officers and other department personnel devoted significant resources to the search, while detectives conducted a follow-up investigation in the days that followed.”
As part of the inquiry, investigators entered the teenager’s information into the National Crime Information Center and uncovered several inconsistencies in Buckley’s account.
Police eventually searched the residence and found the boy hiding in a basement crawl space. Officers determined that he had remained there throughout the search and that Buckley had helped conceal him.
Authorities said there was no evidence that the teenager had been harmed.
Buckley was arrested and charged with obstructing the administration of law.
“Whenever a juvenile is reported missing, particularly when there are concerns for that child’s safety, our officers take the report seriously and commit the resources necessary to locate them,” East Brunswick Police Chief Frank LoSacco said in a statement.
“I commend the patrol officers, detectives and other personnel who worked diligently to locate this juvenile and ensure his safety. Providing false or misleading information to law enforcement undermines those efforts and unnecessarily diverts officers and resources away from members of our community who may need immediate police assistance.”
Fox News Digital has contacted the East Brunswick Police Department seeking additional information.
