Teen-Age Crime Wave (a.k.a. Teenage Crime Wave) is a 1955 American juvenile delinquency film noir crime film directed by Fred F. Sears, and starring Tommy Cook and Molly McCart. It was released by Columbia Pictures. The plot follows a pair of delinquent teens who go on a statewide shooting spree after escaping from reform school.

Plot

Jane Koberly, accidentally present during a robbery, is falsely convicted of being an accessory. While being transferred to an industrial school with her cellmate Terry Marsh, Terry's boyfriend Mike Denton springs them, killing a deputy in the process. With the police hot on their trail, they take over a farmhouse owned by the Grants and terrorize the family while waiting for their friend Al to arrive with money and transport. The Grants' son Ben arrives for Thanksgiving, and is also held hostage. As time passes, Mike becomes more unhinged as Terry flirts with Ben. The criminals are forced to flee after killing a neighbor of the Grants. The fugitives are cornered at the Griffith Observatory, where Terry is fatally shot by the police, and Mike is subdued by Ben. Before she dies, Terry confesses to the police that Jane is innocent. When Mike is taken to Terry's dead body, he breaks down and cries hysterically.