Nationwide — Cyrena Anne Quast, a 35-year-old woman from Monticello, Minnesota, has attracted widespread attention after her shoplifting arrest made headlines for an unexpected reason. Her mugshot has gone viral because many people online say she bears a striking resemblance to singer and actress Jennifer Lopez.
She was arrested Aug. 30 after authorities accused her of stealing two double packs of power tool batteries valued at about $580. A criminal complaint obtained by The Watch MN said a store employee recognized her from an alleged theft at the same store two days earlier and contacted police. Investigators later questioned Quast about the missing batteries.
During the investigation, she reportedly admitted to taking the two battery packs. She was then booked on a gross misdemeanor theft charge, according to the New York Post. Quast did not remain in custody for long, as she was released the following day.
The theft allegation, however, quickly became secondary to the reaction surrounding her booking photo. The Wright County Sheriff’s Office mugshot drew attention online because of Quast’s resemblance to Lopez, who is 57. Photos of the Minnesota woman spread across social media as users compared her appearance with the longtime entertainer.
Some commenters directly referenced Lopez’s music and public image. One person wrote, “For a moment I thought it was jlo lmao,” while another joked about “a glitch in the matrix.” Other users played off Lopez’s 2002 hit “Jenny from the Block,” with comments including, “In prison she’s known as Jenny from D-Block!” Another person wrote, “Jenny been walking the block too much.” A different commenter jokingly called on Lopez to “do this DNA test” and referred to Quast as her “sistaaaaa.”
Quast’s Aug. 30 arrest also was not her first reported contact with law enforcement. Online records show previous arrests involving allegations of drug possession, DWI, fleeing police and providing false identification. The records also list several traffic-related offenses. The latest case stems from the alleged theft of the power tool batteries, while the unusual resemblance shown in her mugshot has made the Minnesota woman the subject of a much wider online conversation.