Man steals NJ police vehicle with K9 inside

🚨 The vehicle that transports Harrison Township police K9 Dunkin' was stolen

🚨 It was recovered in a parking lot on the West Deptford/Woodbury border

🚨 The thief was still at large Thursday

WEST DEPTFORD — A police car stolen with a K9 inside Wednesday evening was found abandoned in the parking lot of a medical facility.

Gloucester County Prosecutors Office Chief of Detectives Tom Gilbert said Harrison Township police were working on an incident in Paulsboro when a suspect in the case took off in the police SUV with the K9 named Dunkin' inside.

As law enforcement searched for the vehicle, the Greenfields and Kings Highway sections of West Deptford were placed on lockdown by police.

The vehicle was found a short time later in the parking lot of a medical facility on the West Deptford/Woodbury border.

No shots fired

Gilbert said the engine was left running. Dunkin', meanwhile, was OK.

"I'm proud of the fact that there were no rounds fired and they did not attempt to pursue, which could have certainly accelerated the situation so," Gilbert told New Jersey 101.5.

Gilbert said he expects the suspect to be found soon and there is no threat to the community.

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

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