NEWS

Teens smoked pot inside drainage pipe, Hackettstown cops say

Michael Izzo
@MIzzoDR

HACKETTSTOWN – A group of teens were charged with smoking marijuana inside a drainage pipe in town, police said.

At about 8:57 p.m. Monday, police responded to an anonymous Nixle tip that said there were juveniles smoking in a drainage pipe that leads to a retention pond on Watch Hill Road, Sgt. Darren Tynan said.

Police arrived and observed four juvenile males near the retention pond, determining through an investigation that a 16-year old male and three 15-year-old males, all from Hackettstown, were smoking marijuana in the drainage pipe, Tynan said.

Two 15-year-olds and the 16-year-old were charged with being under the influence of a controlled dangerous substance.

The other 15-year-old, who had a smoking pipe and small bag of suspected marijuana, was charged with being under the influence of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of under 50 grams of marijuana.

All four juveniles were released to their parents pending a court appearance.

Tynan said people can send anonymous tips to Hackettstown Police by texting 888-777 and typing ‘TIP HACKPD’ at the start of the message.

Police can also converse if more information is needed, but the department will not have access to the person’s phone number or personal information unless it is provided in the tip, Tynan said.

People can also send anonymous tips to the Hackettstown Nixle website at http://local.nixle.com/tip/hackettstown-police-department/.

Staff Writer Michael Izzo: 973-428-6636; mizzo@GannettNJ.com