An Ohio man who allegedly stole a car with a sleeping passenger was caught when the latter woke up and texted police information about where the vehicle was located, police say.
Tiffin Police Department (TPD) officers said the alleged carjacking happened at Findlay's Taylor Hyundai while two teenagers went in to trade in their vehicle on Saturday afternoon.
While at the dealership, Justin M. Vaughn, 31, is alleged to have entered the white Audi and drove away while a 19-year-old was in the backseat, according to the network.
TPD Chief David W. Pauley said in a Saturday Facebook post: "Findlay police advised that the passenger was asleep in the backseat at the time of the theft. The passenger was able to alert police to the stolen vehicle location via text messages as it neared the city of Tiffin."
The car's 17-year-old owner managed to track as Vaughn drove along US 224 with the passenger texting police updates that were later passed on to TPD officers.
Chief Pauly said in the same Facebook post that officers attempted to stop the vehicle near Tiffin Mercy Hospital.
Vaughn allegedly did not comply with officers' instructions and drove eastbound on US 224, which led police to follow in pursuit.
The pursuit continued into the Melmore area and toward the Crawford County line. Shortly after crossing the county line, police performed a "slow-speed vehicle termination maneuver," which ended the pursuit.
Vaughn was then apprehended, taken into custody by Seneca County Sheriff's deputies and charged with felony aggravated robbery, kidnapping, theft of a motor vehicle and fleeing and eluding police.
Police said the passenger was unharmed in the incident and that they and Vaughn were treated and released at the scene by emergency services.
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Newsweek has contacted the TPD for comment.
In November, an alleged carjacker appeared to have also been thwarted by a mobile device when he reportedly accidentally snapped a selfie of himself after he took off in a vehicle in Indianapolis.
The alleged carjacker drove away in the car but left a clue behind—leaving a selfie of himself on victim Megan Whisler's phone.
Indiana police tracked Whisler's phone was about 15 minutes away from where the carjacking happened and believed the suspect threw it out of the window.
Whisler told WXIN: "I looked and was like, 'oh my God.' That's the person."
She later added: "I consider myself very lucky that I made it away with my life, and everything that he took was replaceable. Who's to say the next time he does this it's not the same outcome?"
