Carmel Police Charge Trio After Suspicious U-Haul Stop in Mahopac

According to a press release from the Carmel Police, three Brooklyn residents are facing a list of charges after officers uncovered what investigators say was a mix of fraud, fake IDs, and an overdue rental van in Mahopac.

Police say the situation unfolded on February 1, 2026, when a Carmel Police K9 officer on routine patrol was called to the Skyline Towing parking lot for a report of a suspicious U-Haul. When officers arrived, they found a white van with Arizona plates occupied by two men and a woman.

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The trio was identified as Jovenel Saint Jean Jr., Sariah E. Sammy, and Kahlil C. Patterson Jr., all from Brooklyn. According to police, their explanations about why they were in Mahopac and where they were headed didn’t quite add up. Investigators say the stories kept changing, raising even more red flags.

Officers conducted a consensual search of the van and reported finding several brand-new Apple products still sealed in their boxes — three iPads, five iPhones, and a pair of AirPods Pro Max. Receipts recovered at the scene allegedly showed the items were purchased using stolen identity and financial information belonging to a victim from Westchester, Illinois.

Carmel Police

Police also say they found two counterfeit Illinois driver’s licenses with false names, along with multiple stolen credit cards linked to other individuals.

Detectives contacted U-Haul and determined the van was significantly overdue and that none of the three occupants were authorized to have it.

Carmel Police

All three were arrested without incident and charged with criminal possession of stolen property, possession of a forged instrument, criminal impersonation, and unauthorized use of a vehicle. They were processed at Carmel Police Headquarters and released with appearance tickets. The case is scheduled to be heard in Carmel Town Court at a later date.

The investigation remains ongoing.

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