EVERETT, Mass. — An Everett woman made an unbelievable discovery while on her way to work earlier this week: she spotted her mom's stolen car in traffic and followed it while she called police.
For 20 years, Bunny Hughes left a spare key in her car. Neighbors use that key to help the 81-year-old during the winter.
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"On snow days, what they do is they move her car for her," said Rosemary Hughes, Bunny’s daughter.
But police say Ely Feliciano took advantage of that spare key. Early Monday morning, Bunny's car disappeared from outside her Malden Street home.
"I figured it was gone," Rosemary said.
Wednesday morning, two days after her mom's car went missing, Rosemary Hughes was driving in Everett when she spotted her mom’s car in traffic.
"I had a brief moment of extreme panic because I didn't know what to do," she remembers.
Rosemary followed as the driver pulled into a Wendy's on Revere Beach Parkway. She called 911 and Feliciano was arrested.
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"He's got to be a novice at this because I think if he is this dumb to know that you've got to flee with the getaway car. He should probably give up his career as a car thief," Rosemary said.
The thief left several dents in the Ford Taurus along with a pile of dirty laundry and a strong odor of marijuana.
Bunny couldn't believe someone was driving her stolen car less than a mile from her house.
"To take a car with a low license plate that could be so identifiable, and be right down the street, walking distance from where I live, and bring the car there two days later to go get a hamburger? It's weird," she said.
Feliciano was charged with driving without a license, receiving stolen property and destruction of property.