Man makes up kidnapping to make police ‘work harder' to find stolen car, cops say

PHILADELPHIA — A Philadelphia man is accused of making up a story of a small child being abducted so police would respond faster to his car being stolen.

Marcus Fletcher, 22, is charged with making a false report to police, according to WPVI-TV in Philadelphia.

Police told the news station that Fletcher was working Monday night as a pizza delivery driver when he reported being robbed. Philly.com reported that Fletcher's wallet, cellphone and cash were taken, along with his 1995 Ford Escort.

When Fletcher called police, he told them that his 4-year-old nephew was in the car when it was stolen.

Officers found the car a short time later after an intense search, WPVI-TV reported. After it was found, Fletcher gave inconsistent statements about the robbery and was vague about the child's identity.

He finally admitted that he lied about the boy being in the car because he’d been robbed before and was not happy with the police response in that case, authorities said.

"Therefore he made up the aforementioned story to watch the police work harder," police said, according to Philly.com.

The robbery remains under investigation.

Cox Media Group