{"id":8935,"date":"2026-07-17T20:51:17","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T15:51:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=8935"},"modified":"2026-07-17T20:51:17","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T15:51:17","slug":"ex-con-shares-tips-to-avoid-being-robbed-in-public","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=8935","title":{"rendered":"Ex-con shares tips to avoid being robbed in public"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F2%2F2026%2F07%2Fnewspress-collage-tia8moky8-1784300630148.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall%261784286371\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>This cat burglar\u2019s not\u00a0<em>kitten<\/em>\u00a0around about keeping you safe.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Car jackings, muggings and surprise attacks during walks through a public parking lot or deck can all be avoided with hyper-vigilance, advises ex-con Jennifer Gomez.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI spent 10 years in prison for being a cat burglar with really, really bad people,\u201d Gomez, an inmate-turned-influencer, admitted to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/t\/ZTSwHRteV\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">nearly 50,000 virtual viewers<\/a>, superimposing\u00a0snapshots of her mugshots for effect.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Gomez shared her top three safety tips to avoid getting robbed, carjacked or kidnapped while running everyday errands. <span class=\"credit\">WKMG News<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The transformed transgressor previously struck viral gold online, stockpiling several million clicks with a how-to on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2023\/12\/04\/lifestyle\/former-cat-burglar-shares-how-to-keep-homes-safe-during-holidays\/\">safeguarding one\u2019s home<\/a>\u00a0from thieves during the holidays. Now, she\u2019s revealing the prime principles of protecting one\u2019s property while in public.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m going to tell you, right now, three things that you can do that are going to help you,\u201d Gomez vowed in her latest counsel.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>And her No. 1 safety tip is\u00a0<em>key<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou need to set the feature in your car to where if you unlock with your [key] fob or you walk up and it unlocks automatically that it only unlocks the driver side door, and in order to unlock the rest of the car you need to actually, physically [press] unlock twice,\u201d insisted Gomez, lauding automakers Honda, Toyota, Chevy and Lincoln for equipping cars with the setting.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>The whistleblower warned that opening every car door with a key fob in a public setting grants perps easy access to victims and their goods.   <span class=\"credit\">Gatot \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The rehabilitated offender explained that ne\u2019er-do-wells will often enter into an unsuspecting target\u2019s vehicle via the passenger side door, brandish a weapon and lift the loot \u2014 be it the victim\u2019s money, personal belongings or the car itself.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Gomez then alerted online audiences to the dangers of loading groceries into their backseats.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStop doing that!\u201d urged the brunette. \u201cMost of the time, there are cars parked next to you. And, whether you know it or not, it\u2019s not always the scary white van with dark tinted windows and a sliding door that\u2019s gonna get you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She warned that placing yourself between two cars in a parking lot limits visibility, making it difficult for others to see what\u2019s happening in the case of an assault.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Gomez admittedly spent 10 years in prison for cat burglaries.  <span class=\"credit\">Marion County Sheriff\u00e2s Office<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cAs you start getting closer to your car, open your trunk\u2026and put your bags back there even if it\u2019s not a lot of stuff,\u201d said Gomez, who also acknowledged the front passenger seat as an acceptable alternative.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s more visibility and eyeballs on you if you\u2019re out in the actual row, where people are parking and moving about,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Further driving her point home, the insider alarmed that innocents are at a higher risk of being kidnapped if \u201cyou\u2019re wedged between two cars, someone could just slide their door open and now someone\u2019s grabbing you, pulling you into a car and nobody saw a damn thing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Gomez\u2019s last, however not least, pearl of wisdom encouraged folks to refrain from focusing on their phones.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Gomez says a distracted target is a villain\u2019s ideal victim.  <span class=\"credit\">Drobot Dean \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThe main person that an attacker looks for is a person who is distracted,\u201d the reformed delinquent said. \u201cA distracted person is better than a weak person.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe majority of attackers go for a distracted person because the element of surprise is the No. 1 advantage for a criminal \u2014 any criminal,\u201d she divulged. \u201cAttackers don\u2019t want you looking at them, they don\u2019t want the chance that you can identify them in a line up [or] make a big hoopla before they even get to you because you sense there\u2019s something creepy going on or you got scared.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gomez said wrongdoers are \u201ccounting on\u201d victims looking down at their devices for the \u201cone freaking minute, 45 seconds, 30 seconds it takes you to walk to your car.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPlease,\u201d she implored. \u201cKeep your head on a swivel, looking around, making direct eye contact with anyone who makes you feel that they\u2019re not right. Do not be distracted. Not with your bags, looking in your purse, with kiddos.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou re the first line of defense for your family when you are out in public. You have to be aware.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-tiktok wp-block-embed-tiktok\"\/>\n<p>As an \u201chonorary mention,\u201d Gomez begged drivers to immediately lock all car doors upon entering their rides.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo not give an attacker even two seconds to jump in with you after you\u2019ve unlocked the car.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The former crook\u2019s trending word-to-the-wise comes just days after an 89-year-old Queens resident was\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/07\/07\/us-news\/nyc-thug-violently-mugs-89-year-old-man-of-1k-and-even-his-10-necklace\/\">violently robbed of $1,300 in broad daylight\u00a0<\/a>by a maniacal menace. The theft trailed a heist committed by doin young men\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/04\/19\/us-news\/4-goons-steal-car-mow-down-72-year-old-using-walker-in-nyc-lowes-parking-lot-cops\/\">who stole a Toyota Corolla\u00a0<\/a>out of Lowe\u2019s parking lot in Brooklyn, mowing down a 72-year-old with a walker while fleeing the scene.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This cat burglar\u2019s not\u00a0kitten\u00a0around about keeping you safe.\u00a0 Car jackings, muggings and surprise attacks during walks through a public parking lot or deck can all be avoided with hyper-vigilance, advises ex-con Jennifer Gomez.\u00a0 \u201cI spent 10 years in prison for being a cat burglar with really, really bad people,\u201d Gomez, an inmate-turned-influencer, admitted to\u00a0nearly 50,000&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8936,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/newspress-collage-tia8moky8-1784300630148.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&1784286371&w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8935","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pics-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8935","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8935"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8935\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8936"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8935"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8935"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8935"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}