A 26-year-old tire shop employee in Lynnwood, Washington, was taken into federal custody outside his workplace on Saturday, October 17, 2026, after an encounter that began with a man appearing to be a customer asking for assistance with a vehicle, FOX 13 Seattle reported.

The arrest happened at TOS Wheels and Tires. Surveillance video from the business shows a man entering the shop without a mask and approaching employee Christopher Ruiz de Jesus at the counter. His fiancée, Jade Gaspar, said the man asked questions about tire sizes and the make and model of a car before asking for help outside. "What's the make and model of the car? What's the size tire? And he just played it like, 'Oh, he didn't know it's a new car. Can you come and like help me outside?'" Gaspar said. Security footage shows Ruiz de Jesus walking outside as he would for any regular customer; once outside, the man appears to put on a mask while other masked agents in tactical gear move in and surround him, taking him into custody. The video does not independently verify the identity of the first man or confirm whether he was acting undercover.

According to Gaspar, Ruiz de Jesus has lived in the United States since he was approximately five years old and has no criminal history. She said he called her shortly after the arrest to tell her he was in the back of an immigration vehicle. The family is searching for legal representation and trying to cover rent and household expenses, with their lease ending at the end of the month, and Gaspar described the toll on their nearly two-year-old son, who keeps asking for his father. "You can see innocence in him, like just doing his job. He didn't know," she said.

Reporters sent inquiries about the operation — including whether federal agents are permitted to pose as customers during enforcement actions — to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Homeland Security. ICE and CBP had not responded at the time of reporting. In a statement answering a broader question about whether people without criminal records can be detained, DHS said: "This is false. No one is off the table. We will continue to arrest any and all illegal aliens that come into our path." DHS did not directly address the specific circumstances of this arrest or whether agents used a customer ruse. Lynnwood is a Snohomish County city just north of Seattle, in a Puget Sound region with a large immigrant and South Asian community. (Sources: FOX 13 Seattle, October 20, 2026; DHS statement reported by FOX 13 Seattle, October 2026.)