Lower Saucon Township Police are seeking Jacquelyn Lee Pingyar and Jason Robert Rivera on felony charges of Retail Theft and Conspiracy to Commit Retail Theft related to a theft of lottery tickets.
According to police, an enterprising local couple tried to make their own luck by stealing $1,800 in scratch-off lottery tickets from a vending machine in a local convenience store.
In posts on their department’s Crimewatch site Friday, police announced charges against Jason Robert Rivera, 38, of Bethlehem, and Jacquelyn Lee Pingyar, 27, of Bethlehem.
Police say an investigation that led to charges being filed against the pair began after they received a theft report from staff at Exxon, 3655 Rt. 378, on Aug. 2.
“It was reported that a male and female entered the store on July 31, 2020 at 9:48 p.m. to redeem scratch-off lottery tickets through the lottery machine inside the store,” police said in the Crimewatch post. “A store employee had to open the machine due to an issue with the tickets/machine. Surveillance footage showed a male remove the keys from the machine and then leave the store after the employee forgot to remove them.”
Early the next morning, at approximately 5:20 a.m., police said the surveillance footage showed Rivera and Pingyar entering the store, using the stolen keys to unlock the lottery ticket machine and removing several packs of scratch-off tickets from it.
Police said Rivera–who was wearing a bandana over his face–then walked down a hallway toward the store’s restrooms, before signaling Pingyar to join him.
Pingyar was wearing a backpack, police said, and the two then entered a restroom together.
After emerging a short time later, they left the store, according to police.
The two were subsequently identified as Pingyar and Rivera during the course of the investigation, police said.
Anyone with knowledge of the whereabouts of Jacquelyn Pingyar and/or Jason Rivera is asked to submit an anonymous tip through the Lower Saucon Township Police Department’s Crimewatch tipline or to contact police at 610-759-2200.
According to court records, police have filed the following charges against both Rivera and Pingyar in District Court o3-2-04: retail theft (Felony 3), conspiracy to commit retail theft (Felony 3), theft (Misdemeanor 1) and receiving stolen property (Misdemeanor 1).
Note: Individuals charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using information from police and court documents.
