Cop Car With K9 Inside Stolen In South Jersey: Police

WEST DEPTFORD, NJ - Residents in one South Jersey town were ordered to shelter-in-place Wednesday night after a suspect stole a police car with a K9 inside, according to multiple outlets.

6abc reported the car was recovered, but the suspect is still at-large as of Thursday morning.

Residents in the Greenfields section and Kings Highway section of West Deptford were ordered to shelter-in-place at around 6:30 p.m., police said in a Facebook post.

The police cruiser - with a K9 inside - was stolen as police responded to an unrelated incident in Paulsboro, Chief Thomas Gilbert from the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office told Fox29. The K9 was found unharmed, Gilbert told the outlet, adding that witnesses saw the suspect running in “different directions” at the Westwood Gold Course.

The suspect is described as a light-skinned Hispanic man, approximately 5-feet-7-inches tall and in his mid 30s wearing a black shirt with green camouflage shorts.

Residents who observe someone matching the description are urged to call 911 immediately, police said.

As of 9:28 p.m., the shelter in place has been lifted, police said, noting that the incident is under control.

The Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office is handling an investigation into the suspect.

“There is no threat to the residents of West Deptford at this time,”police said. “Any questions regarding this incident should be addressed with the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office.”