Central Square, N.Y. — A 37-year-old man pretended to be a car dealership employee’s new supervisor to get keys so he could try to steal a vehicle in Oswego County, troopers said.
The man, Nicholas Rodriguez, was caught Sunday trying to steal a 2025 Ford Raptor from Burdick Ford in Central Square, according to a news release Wednesday from Trooper Jennifer Jiron, a spokesperson for the State Police.
Rodriguez’s efforts began when he went unannounced to the home of a dealership employee, Jiron said. He demanded keys to the dealership and falsely claimed to be the employee’s new supervisor, she said.
Troopers found him at about 1 p.m. in the driver’s seat of a Raptor pickup truck in the sales lot at 3004 East Ave.
Rodriguez had opened the truck’s hood and attached a portable jump starter to the battery, Jiron said.
He was inside the truck with a laptop and a diagnostics tool that can be used to bypass the security system and start the truck, she said.
Rodriguez locked himself inside the truck when approached and refused to exit, Jiron said. Employees at the dealership unlocked the truck and Rodriguez was arrested.
Rodriguez was charged with third-degree stalking and attempted second-degree grand larceny. He was arraigned and appears to have been released from custody.
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