AMHERST — The theft of a vehicle left running outside a downtown restaurant early Sunday morning led to the arrest of two men a short time later, according to Amherst and University of Massachusetts police.
At 12:13 a.m., an employee at Bertucci’s, 51 East Pleasant St., reported she left her vehicle idling in the parking lot and, when she returned, noticed it was missing.
UMass Police at 12:20 a.m. encountered the stolen vehicle on James Drive, a short street off Massachusetts Avenue, and arrested its driver, Jonathan E. Coughlin, 22, of North Grafton, on charges of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, using a motor vehicle without authority and operating a motor vehicle without headlights, said UMass spokesman Edward Blaguszewski.
Jacob P. Averka, 22, of Sutton, a passenger in the stolen vehicle, was arrested by Amherst Police on a charge of possession of a class B drug, cocaine, said Detective Nicholas Chandler.
Neither man is a UMass student.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
