Florida police arrested a man during his shift as a Chuck E. Cheese mascot, taking him into custody in full costume as children looked on. His crime? No, not stealing cheese. Reportedly, the man was wanted for credit card fraud.
According to multiple reports, a woman reported fraudulent charges of around $100 on her child support debit card after attending a party at the Chuck E. Cheese restaurant on June 28, 2025. The transactions were traced to multiple purchases, including at a smoke shop, a meat market, and Whataburger, a fast food restaurant.
After reviewing surveillance footage, the woman identified 41-year-old Jermell Jones, who worked as a Chuck E. Cheese mascot, as the suspect.
“Come with me, Chuck E.”
A Chuck E. Cheese employee in Tallahassee was arrested for credit card fraud, all while still at work and wearing full costume. The police scene created an uncomfortable moment for parents, especially when one horrified child asked, "Was he on the Epstein list?" pic.twitter.com/CQoAnTm2Wz
— Jarrett Bellini (@JarrettBellini) July 24, 2025
At around 6:30 p.m. on July 23, officers arrived at the Chuck E. Cheese restaurant in Tallahassee, Florida, during Jones’ children’s birthday party shift to discreetly take him into custody. Jones resisted, and cops cuffed him on the spot with shocked children watching.
Officers even called him by the mascot’s name, saying, “Chuck E, come with me, Chuck E.” Photos showed officers removing Jemmel’s mask outside the restaurant.
“They walked over with the intention of just walking outside to put handcuffs on him outside of public view,” Tallahassee spokesperson Alicia Hill told the Tallahassee Democrat. “But when they approached him,” she said, “he immediately tenses up and resists.”
She added, “and so at this point they make the decision to put him in handcuffs, keeping in mind the safety of not only the customers, but the suspect, as well as the officers themselves.”
According to reports, Jones had the stolen credit card in his possession, with a fraudulent transaction receipt. According to police, Jones also had a small amount of marijuana in his possession. Jones was booked and released the following morning on a $1,000 bond. Jones denied the charges.
Referring to the incident, a Chuck E. Cheese spokesperson told People, “We are aware of an incident involving a part-time employee arrested at our Tallahassee location on Wednesday, July 23.”
They added, “We have taken the appropriate action concerning the subject employee. The police have not reached out to us about this; please contact the local Tallahassee police department for any questions.”
Video and photos of the strange arrest went viral online. “They will arrest anyone except for the Epstein clients,” one comment noted. Someone else captioned their post in part, ” … The police scene created an uncomfortable moment for parents, especially when one horrified child asked, ‘Was he on the Epstein list?'”
