Delaware State Police

Superintendent Colonel William D. Crotty

State Police Arrest Car Wash Employee for Theft in Wilmington

Date Posted: Monday, March 2nd, 2026

News Release banner for New Castle County featuring a Delaware State Police SUV parked in front of the Wilmington city landscape, with the text ‘BecomeATrooper.com’ and social media icons displayed at the bottom.

News Release banner for New Castle County featuring a Delaware State Police SUV parked in front of the Wilmington city landscape, with the text ‘BecomeATrooper.com’ and social media icons displayed at the bottom.

The Delaware State Police have arrested 24-year-old Jose Gonzales-Morales of Wilmington, Delaware, for theft following an investigation into a stolen engagement ring at the car wash where he worked in Wilmington.

On February 15, 2026, troopers responded to the Magic Car Wash located at 3221 Naamans Road in Wilmington for a theft complaint. Troopers learned that after a customer had their car washed, their engagement ring was missing from inside the car, where they had mistakenly left it. Troopers spoke with several car wash employees, including Gonzales-Morales, but the ring could not be recovered.

Troopers later learned that the victim had provided area pawn shops with a flyer showing a picture of the missing ring in case someone tried to pawn it. That effort proved to be successful. On February 23, 2026, Gonzales-Morales responded to a Wilmington-area pawn shop where he attempted to pawn the ring. The pawn shop owner, having previously received a flyer, recovered the ring and returned it to the victim.

On February 28, 2026, Gonzales-Morales was arrested without incident and taken to Troop 1, where he was charged with the following offenses, arraigned by the Justice of the Peace Court 11, and released on a $2,500 unsecured bond.

Mugshot of Jose Gonzales-Morales