Crime & Safety
Atlanta Thieves Stole Bounce House Equipment, Now Demand Ransom
The owner of JAK Event Rentals says thieves stole $4,000 worth of equipment and are now demanding a ransom of $1,000, according to a report.
![The owner of JAK Event Rentals says a customer reserved a bouncy house for the day, but when workers returned to get the $4,000 worth of equipment it was gone. The man then demanded $1,000 to return it, according to a report.](https://patch.com/img/cdn20/users/23629258/20220719/121449/styles/patch_image/public/bounce___19120712565.png)
COLLEGE PARK, GA — A bouncy house company told police that a customer held thousands of dollars worth of equipment for ransom, WSB-TV reported.
Jasmine Lawrence with JAK Event Rentals told the news station that she was contacted by a man who goes by Thomas Jones, through Facebook Marketplace. The customer paid for the slot, but when workers returned everything was gone. He then texted demanding a ransom.
“They told us where to park, where we can put all of the equipment and the inflatable,” Lawrence told WSB-TV. “It was like an open area behind one of the apartment buildings.”
Find out what's happening in Atlantawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The customer filled out the required forms and paid for a six-hour time slot. She said she even recorded them setting up.
She and her team left after agreeing to return at 6 p.m. to pack everything up. About $4,000 worth of equipment was gone when they returned - the generator, blowers - and only the tarp on the ground was left, Lawrence told WSB-TV.
Find out what's happening in Atlantawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The customer texted her saying, ‘I hate to give you bad news, but you’re not getting your stuff back.’ They then followed up with, ‘The reason is I felt that you overcharged me,’” Lawrence said.
The thieves said they would get their equipment back if they paid them $1,000.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.