The Clock Tower Schools in Glen Mills. (Credit: Hello West Chester PA)
Three teenagers, including an 18-year-old man, are facing charges after allegedly stealing a staff member’s SUV and fleeing from a secure youth facility in Delaware County over the weekend, according to the Pennsylvania State Police.
The incident unfolded around 1:10 p.m. on Sunday, at the Clock Tower Schools, a court-committed juvenile facility located at 185 Glen Mills Road in Thornbury Township.
School staff contacted the Pennsylvania State Police’s Media barracks to report that three residents — two juveniles and one adult — had stolen a Range Rover and a cell phone before escaping from the property.
One suspect was identified as Javontay Johnson, 18, and the other suspects were two unnamed male juveniles, ages 15 and 17. All three are from Washington, D.C., and had been court-ordered to reside at the facility.
According to investigators, GPS data from a stolen cell phone last tracked the suspects traveling south on Route 202 in the vicinity of the Concord Mall near Wilmington, Del. Shortly thereafter, the phone was turned off, but further tracking information from court-mandated ankle monitors indicated the trio had returned to Washington, D.C.
Authorities in the D.C. area were notified of the suspects’ direction of travel, and an arrest warrant was issued for Johnson on Sunday. He was taken into custody in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday.
Criminal charges have also been submitted against the two juveniles. Those cases are currently under review by the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office, police said.
No injuries were reported during the incident, and the status of the stolen Range Rover was not immediately disclosed.
Anyone who may have witnessed the theft or has information relevant to the investigation is urged to contact the Pennsylvania State Police – Media Station at 484-840-1000 or reach out to Trooper Paul Holdefer, the Public Information Officer for Troop K, at 215-452-5208.
The Clock Tower Schools, which houses court-adjudicated youth from across the region, has not released a statement about the breach as of Wednesday afternoon.
The incident raises new questions about security protocols at juvenile detention facilities, particularly concerning how residents are monitored and supervised during their stay.
Clock Tower Schools reopened the former Glen Mills Schools in 2023. Glen Mills Schools had been shuttered since 2019 due to staff abuse allegations.
This remains an active investigation.
