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Man Said Kid Was Inside His Stolen Mustang to Get It Back Faster: Cops

He lied to police in an apparent bid to expedite the search for his carjacked vehicle, cops say.

In an apparent bid to expedite the search for his carjacked Ford Mustang, a Queens man allegedly lied to the police, telling them there was a 7-year-old boy with Down syndrome in the vehicle, the New York Daily News reports. Authorities said Monday that the Mustang was stolen out of a driveway around 6:45 p.m. Sunday. Its owner, 33-year-old James Reyes, made up the story about the child, prompting a desperate four-hour search, authorities said. The vehicle was located half a mile away, and a 17-year-old suspect was collared by authorities after a brief foot chase. The suspected car thief knew nothing about the young boy, though, and Reyes admitted under questioning that he’d invented the child in the hopes it would make the police “more diligent” in their search. The car thief was charged with grand larceny auto and released into the custody of his parents. Reyes has been ticketed for filing a false report.