Handcuffed Michigan Woman Escapes Through Cop Car Window in Viral Video

A handcuffed woman in Muskegon Heights, Michigan, squeezed her body through the partially open rear window of a police cruiser, dropped to the ground one leg at a time, and fled on foot while officers searched a nearby vehicle. The escape, caught on video by a bystander and livestreamed to Facebook by a local account called Block Paper Weekly, was shared hundreds of thousands of times and drew national and international coverage from outlets including CBS, Fox News, and Global News Canada.

Kendra Aney, 38, had been placed in the rear seat of a Muskegon Heights Police Department patrol vehicle at approximately 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 28, near the intersection of Norton Avenue and Peck Street, about 40 miles north of Grand Rapids. Officers had flagged Aney after stopping at a vehicle parked near an abandoned business; she initially refused to cooperate with identification, prompting a second officer to arrive with a portable fingerprint scanner to confirm who she was. With her hands cuffed behind her back, Aney pushed her torso through the window opening, worked one leg out, then the other, and ran in the opposite direction from the officers.

Police returned to the patrol car shortly after to find it empty. "Officers immediately responded and attempted to locate her; however, she was not found," the department said in a news release.

The consequences of the escape compounded quickly. About an hour after she ran, at around 4:20 p.m., Aney allegedly broke into a home in the 3300 block of Peck Street. Officers responded to the breaking and entering report that evening and believe Aney was responsible.

She remained at large for three days. On Tuesday morning, March 31, police received a tip from a citizen reporting a woman inside an abandoned home. Officers responded around 9 a.m. and found Aney at a residence in the 100 block of Rotterdam in Muskegon Heights. She was taken into custody without incident. "Muskegon Heights PD would like to thank the citizen who called in and reported the female's location," Police Chief Maurice Sain said in a news release.

Michigan Department of Corrections records show Aney had been absconding from parole since January 12, 2026. She was originally sentenced to a minimum of seven years in prison in 2017 following a plea conviction for delivering or manufacturing controlled substances, and carries at least two larceny convictions and an operating-while-intoxicated conviction dating between 2010 and 2016.

Aney was booked at the Muskegon County Jail following her re-arrest. A breaking and entering charge was filed in connection with the alleged Peck Street break-in, and police indicated they expected to pursue additional charges tied to the escape itself. Her arraignment was scheduled for April 1, 2026.