James Reyes, 33, is now charged with filing a false report after claiming the boy was inside the Mustang when it was stolen around 6 p.m. Sunday from 202nd Street and 104th Avenue in Hollis, cops said. A Queens man allegedly hatched a story about his stolen Ford Mustang, falsely claiming that a 7-year-old boy with special needs was in the back, so the hot rod “would be found faster,” a law enforcement source said Monday. .
Reyes even claimed the boy had Down syndrome, a police source said.
The car was found, empty, a few hours later and Reyes changed his story, confessing to having lied, sources said.
“He said he wanted his car to be found faster,” the source said.
A 17-year-old who was charged with stealing the Mustang was briefly detained around 10:30 p.m., but was turned over to his parents, according to police. He was not charged.
It was unclear why the teen was released, but it could have been because the man who reported the crime was found to be unreliable, a law enforcement source said.
Reyes received a desk appearance ticket and a November 21 court date.
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