What could have been an exciting and pleasant evening turned into a nightmare when a man went to meet his Tinder date, “Sonya.” His heart should have been robbed, not his savings.

On September 17, a man went to meet his Tinder date at a hotel room in Embassy Suites, Phoenix without knowing that it was all a setup. When he arrived, he was met with a gun pointed at him. The suspect, 33-year-old Jose Sandoval Jaquez, told the man to surrender his phone, his valuables, and to share the needed information to gain access to his accounts. 

Jaquez and his female (not Sonya) accomplice were not content with what the victim gave them. They took the man’s car, commanded him to drive them to the nearest Chase bank, and stole the car afterwards. They were able to withdraw $900 from the bank and a total of $3,000 was taken from the victim through Zelle transfers.The victim showed police Zelle and Cash App withdrawals from his account containing partial usernames. Police were able to identify the suspects by finding their usernames.

33-year-old Crystal Hulsey was identified as the other suspect.

The two went to Las Vegas using the stolen vehicle. When the police tried to stop them, they were able to escape once again, leaving the car with their gun inside. 

They were caught after another venture using the same scheme. Hulsey posted her contact number and presented herself as an escort online. The two also used their real names when they booked hotels. 

Several dumb mistakes and mishaps led to their arrest. 

When they were caught, the couple once again tried to evade arrest. Driving a Nissan Rogue, they were seen speeding on the wrong side of the road. During the chase, they were able to assault another driver and carjack their vehicle. The police continued to go after the duo, driving through Tempe, Mesa, Gilbert, and back to Mesa. While trying to drive to Payson and Happy Jack, the drama ended with a public safety helicopter that landed and arrested them.

Both suspects were charged with assault, robbery, theft, and kidnapping, with the female, Hulsey, receiving additional drug offense charges.

The victim chose not to be identified in the embarrassing encounter.

When in doubt… swipe left.