Police: Emmaus Woman Reported Fake Car Theft

If Enterprise "picks you up," as they say, then an Emmaus woman let the company down recently by falsely reporting her rental car stolen, according to police.

Margaret Mary Rice, 57, of 18 N. Cherry St., told borough police June 27 that a dark blue Nissan Sentra was stolen from the lot outside her apartment, said. Police broadcast a countywide alert in search of a man who supposedly was driving the car. The vehicle had an Enterprise sticker on the back and a Delaware registration plate, according to the broadcast.

The vehicle was spotted the next morning by Allentown police about 6:55 in the area of the city boundary with Whitehall Township, according to emergency radio transmissions. The Allentown unit followed the car without the use of warning lights and radioed ahead for state police at Bethlehem to intercept it. State police eventually made the traffic stop, according to Emmaus police.

When the circumstances were sorted out, Emmaus police said that the car was not stolen. Instead, Rice was found to have falsely reported it stolen and had illegally sub-let the car to another person.

Emmaus police said that Rice was awaiting charges June 28 that would be brought by the Lehigh County Auto Theft Task Force related to a fraudulent car theft report. They made it clear that Rice is the only person they are considering charging.