Chuck E. Cheese mascot arrested for debit card theft in Florida
A man dressed as the iconic Chuck E. Cheese mascot was arrested in Tallahassee, Florida, after being accused of stealing a customer’s debit card, according to police. The arrest occurred at a local Chuck E. Cheese's on the evening of July 23, 2025, and was witnessed by several families and children present at the time.
The suspect, 41-year-old Jermel Jarreau Jones, was reportedly wearing the full mouse costume when officers approached him around 7:30 p.m. According to the Tallahassee Police Department's arrest report, Jones initially resisted arrest. Officer Jarrett Cruz described grabbing Jones’s arm and instructing, “Chuck E, come with me Chuck E,” but Jones allegedly tensed his arms and tried to pull away. Officers told him to stop resisting and attempted to avoid creating a scene in front of children, News.Az reports, citing ABC News.
Eventually, Jones was handcuffed—still in his costume—and led out to a patrol vehicle. Officers removed the oversized Chuck E. Cheese mascot head and, during a search, found the stolen debit card in his pants pocket. The card had been reported missing by a customer during a child’s birthday party at the restaurant on June 28.
Jones now faces several felony charges, including larceny of a debit card, possession of someone else’s identification without consent, and fraud for allegedly using the card six times. According to the police report, purchases were made at a smoke shop, a meat market, and a Whataburger.
Jones denied stealing the card, claiming he had just found it and intended to turn it in. However, the card's owner had already taken investigative steps of her own. Suspicious of unusual charges, the victim obtained surveillance footage from the meat market and identified the person using her card as a Chuck E. Cheese employee.
She then cooperated with police to confront the suspect. Officers confirmed Jones was working at the time, and with the victim’s consent, they moved forward with the arrest.
Chuck E. Cheese’s parent company issued a brief statement, saying it had taken appropriate action regarding the part-time employee and referred further inquiries to local law enforcement.
As the case unfolds, it has drawn wide attention on social media due to the unusual image of a costumed mascot being led away in handcuffs.
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