A 61-year-old Bergen County man faces charges after he allegedly stole a police patrol vehicle while the officer picked up food from a restaurant, authorities said.

The theft occurred just before 10 p.m. on Oct. 16 when a Paramus police officer parked the vehicle outside the restaurant in the 700 block of Main Street in Hackensack.

The officer left the patrol vehicle with the key in the ignition while he went inside to pick up his order, according to Detective Captain Darrin DeWitt, spokesman for the Hackensack Police Department.

When the officer came back outside, his cruiser was gone, DeWitt said.

The stolen vehicle was later found parked in a nearby lot in the 600 block of Main Street. The vehicle had minor damage after the thief allegedly struck an unknown object during the drive,

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