NJ Woman Charmed Her Neighbor with Cupcakes So She Could Steal His Car

Police in New Jersey, home of the world’s most petty opportunists, say that a woman “charmed” her way into her neighbor’s house with cupcakes before swiping his car keys, ten dollars in change, and his childlike trust in baked goods.

According to NJ.com, 23-year-old Shannon Henry appeared at her neighbor’s house on Wednesday bearing cupcakes. How delightful! Except that Henry, say police in Fair Lawn, had been to her neighbor’s before to ask to borrow some money. The cupcake conferral was, it seems, a clever ruse to infiltrate her neighbor’s home, and steal some stuff, like a car.

From the report:

The woman had been to the neighbor’s house before to ask to borrow money, according to Fair Lawn Police Sgt. Brian Metzler, and the neighbor didn’t notice anything amiss.

“On this particular day, she went to the house with cupcakes,” Metzler told NJ.com. “He let her in the house, and while she was there, that’s when she took the keys.”

On Thursday, the man awoke and noticed something was off. A bowl of change, estimated at about $10, was missing.

Also, his car — a 2010 Kia — wasn’t in the garage. He called the police.

The brief investigation led police to Henry, who is currently being held on $10,000 bail on three counts of burglary and two counts of theft. What became of the cupcakes, however, is anybody’s guess, and the real tragedy here is that cupcakes may very well be ruined for one bewildered New Jerseyan.