Queens man arrested after stealing rental car from LaGuardia Airport: PAPD

A Queens man was arrested Easter Sunday after getting away with a rental car from LaGuardia Airport — after initially arriving in another stolen vehicle, according to authorities.

On March 27 at about 5 a.m. the suspect, identified as 36-year-old Jose Cabreja, drove a blue Mini Cooper convertible — which authorities later determined was stolen — into the Hertz Rental Car parking lot inside LaGuardia Airport, the Port Authority Police Department said.

He then walked into the rental office and asked to rent a car, according to police, but also told the staff that he had just been release from Rikers.

The staff refused to give Cabreja a vehicle, so the 36-year-old walked out and proceeded to steal a Infiniti QX80 which had just been returned by another customer and still had the keys in it, authorities said.

Cabreja then left the parking lot in the car, driving over spikes that caused all four tires to deflate, according to police. However Cabreja kept driving and left the area driving westbound toward the airport exit.

PAPD officers searched for Cabreja using the stolen vehicle’s GPS device, authorities said. At about 10:30 a.m. the Infiniti QX80 was found at the corner of 83rd Street and Astoria Boulevard.

Port Authority Police Lt. Dan Rhein identified Cabreja using a photo taken at the Hertz Rental Car office. Cabreja was taken into custody after a short foot pursuit, police said. Heis now facing charges of grand larceny, burglary and criminal trespass.