A New York City woman spent nearly seven hours in jail after being arrested for allegedly taking rugs she thought were available for repurposing. Jocelyn Ullman was handcuffed on July 15 after NYPD officers responded to a call regarding the alleged theft of handmade rugs valued at $4,300 from a vintage shop in Bushwick, Brooklyn.

Chyelle Milgrom, the owner of the shop, stated that the rugs were temporarily placed on the business's railing to dry after a flood, but Ullman told Gothamist that she believed they were being offered for free. Ullman, an interior decorator, was engaged in a practice known as "stooping," which involves collecting discarded items from the sidewalk to upcycle.

She explained that some antique rugs were draped over the shop's railing while others were rolled on the sidewalk. "I do this very often. It's a hobby of mine. I refurbish things and I love to do it, it's fun for me," Ullman said. "So upon finding these, yes, they were dirty and disgusting, but I knew I could clean them and bring them back to life, so I was so excited."

Ullman, who had intended to use the rugs for a client, learned of the situation a week after taking them when friends sent her news articles. "I was mortified," she recalled. She then contacted an attorney, retrieved the rugs from her client, and issued a refund.

Ullman subsequently turned herself in to the police with the rugs. "I was put in handcuffs. I had a mugshot taken. I was fingerprinted. I’ve never been arrested. It was horrible. The second they put the handcuffs on me, I was just sobbing," she recounted. She was detained for approximately seven hours before her release.

Ultimately, the grand larceny charge against Ullman was dropped, and her mugshot and fingerprints were removed from her record. Ullman suggested that the situation could have been resolved more amicably if the shop owner had sought the rugs' return through community channels or social media. "I just wish that she had gone to the community asking for her rug back opposed to bringing the NYPD into a Black and brown community and involving news outlets," Ullman stated.

Milgrom, the shop owner, expressed that she was "horrified" to hear of Ullman's arrest. Milgrom explained that the rugs were placed outside due to a flood from an appliance overnight. "I kinda made a decision when I left at midnight, which was risk leaving the rugs out on the porch and outside the store, or leave them inside and risk increasing the humidity and the risk of mold," she said.

Milgrom added that her primary concern was recovering her property and that she did not wish to press charges or have anyone arrested, especially if they came forward voluntarily. She had shared footage with officers when filing the police report but was unaware it would gain widespread online attention.