JACKSON – Jackson Police arrested a 29-year-old Howell woman last week after she stole a vehicle with a dog inside outside the Quick Chek on Leesville Road.
The woman who had her car stolen left her 2011 Hyundai unlocked with the keys in the ignition while she went inside the convenience store, and when she came out, her car was missing, along with her Shih Tzu dog and iPhone that were left inside.
She told responding Officers Sean Greenberger and Stephen Cilento that she saw a woman leaning against a post in front of the Quick Chek as she went inside, and that both the woman and her car were gone when she came back out.
A Good Samaritan lent the victim their phone so she could use the Find my iPhone app to track down her phone and her car. The app showed that the phone was traveling westbound on Interstate 195, which allowed Officer Greenberger to contact the State Police and update dispatch with the phone’s location. The suspect, Jaclyn Rose, was stopped on Route 129 in Trenton and identified as the same woman standing in front of the Quick Chek.
Jackson Police took the victim to the location to retrieve her car, dog and iPhone. Troopers from the State Police processed and signed complaints against Rose at Hamilton Barracks. She was charged with two counts of theft – one for the vehicle and one for the dog – and also with driving on a suspended license. Rose also had an outstanding warrant for her arrest out of Ewing and Hamilton Townships and was eventually lodged in the Ocean County Jail.
Jackson Police have responded to similar incidents in the past, and remind all residents to lock their vehicles and not to leave keys in the ignition while their vehicles are unattended.
