Police: Missing Delaware Man Connected to Carjacking Found, Charged
By Chelsea Lacey-Mabe
DELAWARE (CBS) -- Jeffrey Blauvelt, wanted in connection to a carjacking outside of Christiana Hospital in Newark was found and taken into custody Wednesday afternoon after being reported missing overnight.
According to police, Blauvelt, a patient at the hospital exited the facility just before 7 a.m. without being discharged.
He approached a 2004 silver Nissan Maxima parked out front of the facility and entered the driver's seat of the vehicle just as the driver was getting out of the car. Another passenger who had also just exited the vehicle, attempted to stop Blauvelt, but Blauvelt pushed him away and then took off in an unknown direction in the car. No injuries were reported.
State troopers obtained warrants charging Blauvelt with carjacking in the 2nd degree and theft of a motor vehicle and asked for the public's help in locating him. Then around 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, police received a 9-1-1 call from Blauvelt's wife who was concerned about her husband's safety. She said Jeffrey had arrived home on the 200 block of Central Avenue in Wilmington sometime after 4 a.m. looking for documents. When he couldn't find them he became frustrated and fled in a green 2002 Chevy Tahoe with Delaware registration PC232594.
That afternoon a Delaware State Trooper on patrol in Rehoboth passed a dark-colored Tahoe matching the description of Blauvelt's car. The trooper stopped the vehicle near the area of Rt. 1 and Rt. 24 and took Blauvelt into custody. He was charged with Driving Under the Influence of Drugs and transported to a medical facility. Once released Blauvelt will be formally arrested for the other offenses.
The carjacked Nissan has since been located in Elsmere, Delaware and returned to its owner.
Police have not released information on why Blauvelt was in the hospital in the first place.