Parents thought they were treating their kids to innocent fun at Chuck E. Cheese.
Instead, they got a front-row seat to a real-life crime drama.
And a Chuck E. Cheese mascot left families shell-shocked after police dragged him away in handcuffs for this jaw-dropping reason.
Police bust Chuck E. Cheese employee in full costume
Wednesday night started like any other at the Chuck E. Cheese location on Sharer Road in Tallahassee, Florida.
Kids were celebrating birthdays, parents were sipping lukewarm coffee, and the oversized mouse mascot was entertaining families.
But everything changed when Tallahassee police officers walked through the front door.
They weren’t there for pizza.
Officers were hunting for 41-year-old Jermell Jarreau Jones, who happened to be working his shift dressed head-to-toe in the Chuck E. Cheese costume.¹
The arrest unfolded like something out of a comedy movie, except it was real life and children were watching.
“I grabbed his right arm while giving the verbal instruction, ‘Chuck E, come with me Chuck E,’” Officer Jarrett Cruz wrote in his report.²
Jones didn’t make it easy.
According to the police report, he “immediately started tensing up, locking both of his arms forward in front of his chest and attempted to pull away from my grip on his right arm.”³
The whole restaurant watched as officers wrestled the giant mouse into handcuffs and escorted him outside.
Social media erupted with photos and videos of the bizarre scene — including one unforgettable image of the Chuck E. Cheese head sitting on top of a police cruiser while Jones stood in handcuffs nearby.
Credit card theft scheme catches up with Chuck E.
Jones wasn’t just unlucky timing.
He was allegedly running a credit card scam right under everyone’s noses.
The scheme started on June 28 when a mother brought her daughter to Chuck E. Cheese for a birthday party.
She used her debit card that day and lost it during the celebration.
A few weeks later, she noticed strange charges popping up on her account — purchases she definitely didn’t make.⁴
This mom didn’t just call her bank and move on.
She turned into a detective.
The determined mother visited one of the businesses where her card had been used and obtained security footage of the transaction.
When she saw who was using her card, she “immediately recognized the suspect as an employee of Chuck E. Cheese.”⁵
Game over.
She contacted police and arranged to meet them at the restaurant where Jones worked.
By the time officers arrived, Jones had racked up $105.57 in fraudulent charges at places like 1Smoke Shop, Whataburger, Circle K, Time Saver and a meat market.⁶
When police searched Jones after his arrest, they found the stolen debit card in his pocket along with a receipt from one of the fraudulent purchases.
Jones tried to claim he had “just found” the card and was planning to turn it into the lost and found.
When police asked about the marijuana, Jones told officers, “I was on the way to getting one” when asked if he had a medical marijuana license.⁷
Nobody was buying either story.
This wasn’t Jones’ first rodeo
The credit card caper gets even more outrageous.
This apparently wasn’t Jones’ first time at the fraud rodeo.
Police charged him with “fraudulent use of a credit card more than twice within 6 months” — suggesting he’d been pulling similar schemes for months.⁸
Court records show Jones faces three felony charges: credit card theft, criminal use of personal identification information, and fraudulent use of a credit card more than twice within six months.
Officers also discovered a small amount of marijuana in Jones’ possession during the arrest.
Sure you were, Chuck E.
Jones posted $1,000 bond and was released Thursday morning.
Chuck E. Cheese corporate tried to distance themselves from the embarrassing incident with a carefully worded statement.
“We are aware of an incident involving a part-time employee arrested at our Tallahassee location on Wednesday, July 23,” the company said. “We have taken the appropriate action concerning the subject employee.”⁹
Translation: He’s fired.
Parents get more than they bargained for
The whole situation left families at the restaurant stunned.
One minute their kids were watching Chuck E. Cheese dance around, the next minute they were witnessing a felony arrest.
The timing couldn’t have been worse — Jones was arrested right in the middle of a children’s birthday party.
Parents scrambled to explain to confused kids why the friendly mouse was being led away in handcuffs.
Some questioned why police didn’t wait for Jones to remove the costume before making the arrest, but officers apparently decided not to risk letting him escape.
The incident went viral on social media as witnesses shared photos and videos of the surreal scene.
Not exactly the family entertainment experience Chuck E. Cheese advertises.
The whole mess serves as a reminder that you never know who’s behind the costume at your favorite family restaurant.
Parents planning birthday parties might want to keep a closer eye on their credit cards — and maybe check the background of whoever’s entertaining their kids.
As for Jones, he’s learned the hard way that crime doesn’t pay, especially when you’re dressed as a giant mouse and there’s nowhere to hide.
¹ Tallahassee Police Department, “Arrest Report – Jermell Jarreau Jones,” Leon County Sheriff’s Office, July 24, 2025.
² Ibid.
³ Ibid.
⁴ Bill Hutchinson, “Chuck E. Cheese mascot busted for debit card theft in Florida: Police,” ABC News, July 24, 2025.
⁵ Ibid.
⁶ TMZ Staff, “Chuck E. Cheese Caught in Credit Card Fraud Trap,” TMZ, July 24, 2025.
⁷ TMZ Staff, “Chuck E. Cheese Caught in Credit Card Fraud Trap,” TMZ, July 24, 2025.
⁸ Tallahassee Police Department, “Arrest Report – Jermell Jarreau Jones,” Leon County Sheriff’s Office, July 24, 2025.
⁹ Bentley Maddox, “Chuck E. Cheese Mascot Arrested While on the Job in Florida,” E! News, July 24, 2025.
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Author: rgcory
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