East Brunswick Police charge mother with obstruction in missing juvenile investigation
A search of the residence revealed the missing teen hiding inside a crawl space in the basement.
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An East Brunswick woman is facing obstruction charges after police found her 17-year-old son hiding in a basement crawl space following a multi-day missing person search.
The investigation began on Sept. 15, when the juvenile's father called police around 7:47 p.m. to report that his son had not arrived for a scheduled 6:00 p.m. drop-off.
According to police, the boy's mother, Jennifer Buckley, told officers that her son was missing and had expressed reluctance to go to his father's home. She also shared concerns that the teen might be a danger to himself. Given the safety concerns, officers entered the teen into the National Crime Information Center database as a missing person and launched a search involving patrol units and detectives.
During the follow-up investigation, detectives noted discrepancies in the information provided and returned to Buckley's home. A search of the residence revealed the missing teen hiding inside a crawl space in the basement.
Investigators determined that the juvenile had remained at the home throughout the search and that Buckley helped conceal his location from law enforcement.
Buckley was arrested and charged with obstructing the administration of law.
