Cops: North Caldwell Man Stole Officer's Cell Phone During Courtesy Ride Home

A North Caldwell man allegedly repaid a police officer’s courtesy ride home by stealing her cell phone.

Police said that after Officer Sue Depoe dropped 19-year-old Robert Tucker off at his home around 4:30 a.m. on April 7, she noticed that her cell phone was missing.

The phone may have fallen from the cup holder under the driver’s seat during the ride to Tucker’s home, stated Depoe.

According to police, video cameras in the back of Depoe’s patrol car captured Tucker picking up an iPhone 6 Plus and placing it in his jacket pocket.

When officers returned to Tucker’s residence to arrest him, they found Depoe’s phone placed under a piece of wood by the mailbox. Police said that the phone’s contents were erased and it was factory reset.

According to police, Tucker stated that he may have possibly kicked the phone when he got out of the patrol car by mistake.

Tucker was charged with third-degree theft due to the value of the phone, and is due to appear in municipal court on Thursday.

Photos courtesy of the North Caldwell Police Department