A routine shoplifting arrest in Minnesota has unexpectedly turned into a viral celebrity-lookalike moment after the suspect’s booking photo left social media users convinced they were looking at Jennifer Lopez.

The woman in the photograph is 35-year-old Cyrena Anne Quast of St. Cloud, Minnesota, who was arrested on August 30 in Monticello. Quast’s booking photo began circulating widely online after users noticed what they described as a striking resemblance to the 57-year-old singer and actress.

But behind the viral mugshot is an actual criminal case.

According to a criminal complaint cited by multiple outlets, Quast is accused of stealing two double packs of power-tool batteries worth approximately $580 from a Runnings store in Monticello. An employee reportedly recognized Quast because she was suspected of committing a similar theft at the same location just two days earlier.

The employee contacted authorities and provided police with information about Quast and the vehicle she was driving, including its license plate. Quast was subsequently arrested and booked into the Wright County Jail on a gross-misdemeanor theft charge. Reports citing the criminal complaint say Quast admitted taking the battery packs.

Under normal circumstances, the alleged theft likely would have remained a local crime story. Instead, Quast’s booking photograph transformed the case into an internet spectacle.

With her dark hair pulled into a high ponytail, large hoop earrings and facial features that some viewers thought closely resembled Lopez, the photo quickly generated comparisons to the global superstar. Some commenters said they initially believed they were looking at an actual photograph of J.Lo before realizing it was a Minnesota booking photo. Others disagreed entirely and said they saw little resemblance.

Naturally, it did not take long for the internet to start making Jenny From the Block jokes.

Social-media users began riffing on the title of Lopez’s famous 2002 hit, with variations including “Jenny from the jail block” and “Jenny from D-Block.” Other commenters jokingly suggested Lopez and Quast needed a DNA test or that Quast could work as the entertainer’s stunt double.

There is, of course, no evidence that Quast and Lopez are related. The connection between the two women exists entirely because of the resemblance some social-media users believe they see in Quast’s booking photograph.

The attention has also created an unusual situation where the mugshot has become significantly more famous than the alleged crime that produced it.

Public records indicate Quast has had previous encounters with Minnesota law enforcement. A Stearns County jail record, for example, shows a February 2025 booking connected to cases involving fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle, theft and fifth-degree drug possession. The record shows she served 30 days.

Those previous cases are separate from the August 30 incident now attracting national attention.

In the current case, Quast faces an allegation of theft, and the charge should not be confused with a conviction. The viral jokes and celebrity comparisons similarly have no bearing on whether she is ultimately found responsible for the alleged shoplifting.

What began as an employee reportedly recognizing a suspected repeat shoplifter inside a Minnesota farm-and-fleet store has nevertheless become something much larger online.

Instead of the alleged $580 in stolen power-tool batteries dominating the conversation, it is Quast’s face that has made the story travel far beyond Monticello. Within days of the booking photograph reaching a wider audience, national outlets were covering the case and thousands of people were debating the same question:

Does Minnesota’s viral theft suspect really look like Jennifer Lopez?

The internet appears unlikely to reach a unanimous verdict on that question anytime soon.