A 17-year-old boy who was breaking into a vehicle in Southwest Philly overnight was shot after an off-duty officer with the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office and a family member fired at him, officials said.

According to Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small, the incident happened at about 3:30 a.m. along the 7300 block of Bunting Place, in Southwest Philadelphia, when an off-duty officer for the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office spotted someone breaking into his private vehicle.

Small said “for reasons unknown at this time,” the officer fired his gun at the the individual inside the vehicle, a Honda Accord. Another member of the officer’s family also fired his gun at the teen, Small said.

A total of four shots were fired, Small said, all by the off-duty officer and his family member.

After being shot, Small said, the teen fled the scene and arrived about 20 minutes later at a nearby hospital. The teen suffered two gunshot wounds to the leg, according to investigators .

The teen, Small said, was listed in stable condition. The officer involved in the shooting identified the wounded teen at the hospital as the person who he believes broke into his vehicle.

At the scene, investigators found four spent shell casings and fresh damage to the locks on the door of the Honda Accord, Small told NBC10.

Also, according to Small, when the teen arrived at the hospital, he was in possession of tools that are commonly be used to break into vehicles, like a screwdriver, additional key fob and other items.

The officer and the family member were not injured in this incident and, Small said, they are both cooperating as police investigate this incident.

Also, he noted, the family member involved in this incident had a license to carry the gun that was used in the shooting.

An investigation into this incident, Small said, is ongoing and investigators hope that residential cameras at the scene could provide more information into how this incident unfolded.

Contacted Tuesday morning, a spokesperson for the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office said the office had “no comment” as the incident was under preliminary investigation.

In 2025, there were more than 1400 reports of car thefts in Philadelphia between Jan. 1 and Feb. 9, according to police data. During that same time period in 2026, there were a little more than 1,000 reports of car thefts which is about a 30% decrease.