Police: Man steals running car from 7-Eleven parking lot

The days of leaving your car running while you run inside a convenience store are long gone.

And one man was reminded of that on Monday night, when he left his car running in front of a 7-Eleven in Riverhead and came outside to find that someone had stolen it.

With the assistance of a police K-9 unit, the thief was soon caught by Riverhead Police and arrested.

According to Riverhead Police, a man said he left his running vehicle unattended at the 7-Eleven near the Department of Motor Vehicles around 8:30 p.m. last night while he went inside the store. He came outside to find it missing, and a witness in the area provided a description of the person and the car, broadcasting it to surrounding police units.

A K-9 unit was able to locate the vehicle a short distance from the store, on Melene Avenue. The car’s occupant, 20-year-old John A. Cruz-Grijalva, was placed under arrest, police said.

According to police, the man was found to be in possession of marijuana and a stun gun.

He was charged with criminal possession of stolen property, criminal possession of a weapon, and unlawful possession of marijuana.