Cape Cod Woman Finds Unexpected Passenger Hiding In Her Car, Charges Filed

YARMOUTH, MA — A Yarmouth man faces charges after he broke into a car early Monday morning, only for the owner to discover him inside after she started driving.

Police have charged Jailton Dos Santos, 36, of South Yarmouth, with breaking and entering into a vehicle in the nighttime.

A Yarmouth Police Officer was patrolling near the Route 6 exit ramp just before 1 a.m. when he saw a vehicle he thought was disabled. As he went to check on the car, he saw a woman standing outside of it attempting to dial 911, police said.

"She appeared to be scared and upset as she explained to the officer what had just occurred," police said.

According to a report from the Yarmouth Police Department, the woman said she didn't notice unusual after leaving her friend’s house. Then a light came on while she was driving.

She looked behind her and saw Dos Santos hiding with a coat pulled over his head. Her erratic driving — caused by the fear of finding a stranger hiding in her car — led to Dos Santos falling out of the open back door while she was still driving, police said.