A handcuffed Michigan woman who wriggled out of a police cruiser's rear window in a viral video was arrested days later — after a tip from a citizen led police to an abandoned home where she was hiding.

Kendra Aney, 38, of Muskegon Heights, Michigan, was taken into custody Tuesday (April 1) at approximately 9 a.m., according to local news station WZZM, after police found her inside an abandoned residence in the 100 block of Rotterdam in Muskegon Heights. She had been on the run since Saturday (March 28).

The chase began that Saturday afternoon around 3:30 p.m., when a Muskegon Heights Police Department officer on patrol spotted a vehicle parked outside an abandoned business near Norton Avenue and Peck Street. The officer approached and made contact with the occupants. The driver was identified, but the female passenger, later confirmed as Aney, could not be initially identified.

A second officer arrived with a fingerprint scanner, which confirmed Aney's identity. Police discovered she had an outstanding parole violation warrant and placed her in handcuffs behind her back before securing her in the rear seat of a patrol vehicle.

Muskegon Heights Police Chief Maurice Sain described what happened next in a press release shared on Facebook. While officers searched the suspect vehicle, Aney squeezed through the cruiser's partially open rear window — hands still cuffed behind her back — dropped to the ground, and ran off on foot. Officers searched the area but could not find her.

A bystander captured the entire escape on a Facebook Live video posted to an account called Block Paper Weekly. In the footage, the person recording is heard saying, "Look, look, look. Y'all seeing it live. This is live," as Aney runs away down a residential street. The video has since been shared hundreds of thousands of times across social media platforms.

Later that same Saturday, at approximately 7:30 p.m., a resident reported a breaking-and-entering incident that had occurred around 4:20 p.m. in the 3300 block of Peck Street. Police believe Aney was responsible for that break-in as well.

Aney was located Tuesday morning after a citizen called police to report seeing her in an abandoned home. Chief Sain thanked that tipster in a statement, saying, "Muskegon Heights PD would like to thank the citizen who called in and reported the female's location."

Muskegon County Prosecutor D.J. Hilson charged Aney with felony third-degree home invasion. She was not charged with escape from lawful custody, which carries a misdemeanor classification under Michigan law. Hilson confirmed Aney is expected to be arraigned on Wednesday (April 1).

Aney's criminal history is extensive. Michigan's Department of Corrections listed her as a parole absconder as of January 12, 2026. She had been sentenced in February 2017 to seven to 20 years in prison following a plea conviction on a charge of delivering or manufacturing a controlled substance. Court records also show prior convictions for larceny, attempted larceny from buildings, and operating while intoxcated between 2010 and 2016.

Aney is currently lodged at the Muskegon County Jail. Court records did not list an attorney for her as of Tuesday. Muskegon Heights is located approximately 190 miles northwest of Detroit.

RJ Harris

RJ Harris