Saturday Night Live” cast member avoided arrest Wednesday night when the passenger in an SUV he was driving claimed ownership of two bags of marijuana New Jersey police found during a search of the vehicle.

After a citizen complained to cops that a motorist was driving a white Cadillac Escalade erratically, Bernards Township police pulled over the vehicle, which was being driven by comedian Kenan Thompson. The 29-year-old performer debuted on the NBC late-night show in 2003 as a “featured player,” and has been a formal cast member since the 2005-6 season.

When an officer detected the odor of burnt marijuana in the SUV, he questioned Thompson and passenger Kyle Mosley, to whom the vehicle belonged. At that point, Mosley handed over a cigarette pack containing a partially smoked joint. A subsequent police search recovered two small baggies of marijuana and a pack of rolling papers in Mosley’s pockets. The 39-year-old Long Beach, N.Y. resident claimed “sole ownership” of the pot, said Lt. Stephen Elder in an e-mail to TSG. - source