Police: Suspect sought after stealing police cruiser with K9 inside in West Deptford
WEST DEPTFORD, N.J. - Authorities are searching for a man who they say stole a police cruiser with a K9 inside and went on a joyride into West Deptford before abandoning the vehicle in a parking lot.
The incident prompted police to issue a brief shelter in place around 9 p.m. for West Deptford residents in the Greensfield and Kings Highway sections.
Chef Thomas Gilbert from the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office said the police cruiser was stolen when officers responded to an unrelated incident in nearby Paulsboro.
After a frantic search, police found and recovered the cruiser outside a medical facility near the boarder of West Deptford and Woodbury. The K9 was left inside the cruiser and unharmed.
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Witnesses told police they saw the suspect running in different directions at the Westwood Golf Course. Police did not consider the suspect a threat to the community and lifted the shelter in place.
Police originally advised residents to be on the lookout for a 5-foot-7 Hispanic man in his 30s wearing a black shirt and green camouflage shorts.
Anyone with information on the suspect's whereabouts or the incident should contact the Gloucester County Prosectuor's Office.