Woman jailed after 'upcycling' neighbor's $4,300 rugs that had been left outside to dry on porch

By EMMA RICHTER, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 22:14, 23 July 2026 | Updated: 22:23, 23 July 2026 A New York City woman spent nearly seven hours in jail after she was arrested for allegedly stealing expensive rugs that she thought were up for grabs, she said.  Jocelyn Ullman was handcuffed on July 15 after NYPD officers were called to Chyelle, a vintage shop located in Bushwick, Brooklyn, over the alleged theft of handmade rugs valued at $4,300, according to authorities.  Chyelle Milgrom, the owner of the shop, told officers that the rugs were merely drying on the business's railing, but Ullman thought they were in search of a new home, she told Gothamist.  Ullman, who was caught on camera swiping the rugs, told the outlet she was out 'stooping' - reclaiming discarded items on the sidewalk to upcycle - on the evening of July 8 when she came across the wet rugs.  She said some of the antique rugs were draped over the store's railing, while others were rolled up and placed on the sidewalk.  But despite the rugs' presence, Ullman was thrilled about the sudden find and ready to give them a new life.  '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.  '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 explained to the outlet.  Jocelyn Ullman was arrested on July 15 by the NYPD after video of her taking wet rugs from a vintage store in Brooklyn was shared online Ullman said she only took them because she was under the impression that they were being given away. The shop's owner, Chyelle Milgrom, said she had placed them outside because they got wet in a flood Ullman, an interior decorator, specifically had plans to use the rugs for one of her clients, but that went out the window after she woke up to her face all over the news a week after she took the rugs.  'I was mortified,' Ullman recalled, stating that several of her friends sent her links to articles about the alleged theft.  She then decided to get in contact with an attorney, get the rugs back from her client, and refund them for the mix-up.  Ullman then turned herself in with the rugs in hand at the police station, she said.  '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.  Afterward, Ullman was escorted to a room where she was kept for about seven hours while she waited to be processed before her release, she said.  In the end, she was let go with the grand larceny charge against her dropped, and had her mugshot and fingerprints wiped from her record, per the outlet.  Ullman said she believes it would have all gone a lot smoother if the store owner had posted about the missing rugs online.  '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,' she stated.   After seeing her face plastered on the news, Ullman decided to get in contact with an attorney, get the rugs back from her client, and refund them for the mix-up. She then turned herself into police with the rugs in hand Ullman added: 'Bushwick is smaller than you think. It could have easily gotten back to me, and I would have happily returned the rug to her.'  Meanwhile, Milgrom told the publication that she was 'horrified' to learn that Ullman had been arrested.  She said she had placed the items outside the store after the inside flooded 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,' Milgrom said.  When she decided to file a police report the following day, Milgrom shared footage with officers, but had no idea it would spread online, she said.  Milgrom added: 'My priority is just recovering my items, I don’t want to press charges or have anyone arrested, especially if they come forward voluntarily.'  The Daily Mail reached out to Ullman, Milgrom, and the NYPD for comment.