A high school English teacher is going viral after sharing a story so wild it almost sounds made up: One of her own students stole her car.
Jessica (@whatsjessicaupto) explained in a recent TikTok that it all started when she got new tires put on her car. After picking it up, she tossed her spare key in the glove box and forgot about it. Because the spare was inside, the car wouldn’t lock, but she didn’t give it much thought at the time. The next morning, though, the car was gone.
Her storytime quickly took off online, racking up more than 45,000 views as of this writing.
What Happened to the Teacher's Honda?
The morning after the service, Jessica said she was jolted awake at 4 a.m. by police knocking at her door. Officers told her the car had been recovered at a local park. She learned it had been stolen just two hours earlier from her driveway, and the thieves had taken it for a joyride, doing donuts and leaving behind visible damage. The car was still technically drivable, but somebody had banged it up.
At first, police didn’t have a suspect but said they’d collected some items from her car to dust for fingerprints. Jessica later went to work and even joked with her students about what had happened.
A week later, she got an unexpected update from several students, who said someone from their school had been arrested in connection with the crime. When she called the police, they confirmed it. One of her own students was charged with stealing her car.
Jessica said in another video that she had sat next to the student for a week, teaching him English, never once suspecting he was involved. She added that she doesn’t know if he realized it was her car when he took it. “Probably a crime of opportunity,” she said.
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Will the Student Who Stole the Honda Get In Trouble?
Punishment for juvenile car theft can range widely, but is likely to involve some mix of restitution, fines, probation, community service, counseling, or even detention in a juvenile facility. In the most serious situations, a juvenile can even be tried as an adult.
If Jessica lives in a state like Texas, the court could order restitution, which means the student or their family would need to pay for repairs.
Probation, where the juvenile is placed under the supervision of a probation officer, is another common outcome, typically with restrictions such as curfews, regular check-ins with an officer, and mandatory school attendance.
Courts sometimes pair probation with community service, requiring a set number of hours of work to give back to the community. If a judge sees underlying issues that may have contributed to the theft—like anger problems or substance use—they might also require counseling or educational programs.
If the court determines the theft was more serious, detention in a juvenile facility can be on the table, according to various law firms. And in the most extreme cases, a judge could transfer the case to adult court, where the penalties become much harsher.
While the outcome isn’t set in stone, the combination of vehicle theft, damage, and the fact that it was stolen from a teacher’s driveway could all influence how this case is handled.
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Viewers Can’t Believe Students’ Audacity
People reacting to Jessica’s initial storytime about her wild encounter said they were stunned that a student would steal her car.
“That’s insane! I’m so sorry to hear that happened,” one person said.
“That’s crazy!” another chimed in.
“The KIA boys,” a third said, referencing a trend in which youngsters would exploit a Kia (and Hyundai) weakness that makes them easier to steal and go on joyrides.
Some pointed out that this kind of thing isn’t exactly unheard of.
“In high school, I had a math teacher that came from China. [It] was her first year in the States,” someone recalled. “The kids would steal her purse, phone, and lunch. The whole year, she would just sit and drink green tea. I didn’t learn nothin that year.”
“My parents had 2 former students break into his house and steal jewelry and TVs, they got caught and we were all shocked, even the thieves, cuz they supposedly didn’t know whose house it was,” another shared.
“That happened to one of my teachers in middle school, but it happened in the school parking lot,” a third added. “Don’t leave your keys on your desk lol.”
Motor1 has reached out to Jessica via a direct message on TikTok.
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