Minnesota Woman’s Mugshot Goes Viral for Striking Resemblance to Jennifer Lopez

A routine theft arrest in Minnesota has turned into an unexpected internet sensation after the suspect’s booking photo drew widespread comparisons to Jennifer Lopez.

Cyrena Anne Quast, 35, of St. Cloud, Minnesota, was arrested Aug. 30 after she was accused of stealing two double packs of power-tool batteries worth about $580 from a store in Monticello, according to a criminal complaint obtained by The Watch MN.

A store employee reportedly recognized Quast from an alleged theft two days earlier and contacted police. Authorities said Quast admitted taking the batteries, and she was booked on a gross misdemeanor theft charge. She was released the following day.

But the theft allegation quickly became secondary online when Quast’s mugshot began circulating on social media.

‘Is That J.Lo?’

Viewers immediately noticed what they described as a striking resemblance between Quast and the 57-year-old pop star and actress.

Comments on social media ranged from simple double takes to jokes referencing Lopez’s 2002 hit “Jenny from the Block.” One commenter joked that Quast could be known as “Jenny from D-Block,” while others said they initially believed the booking photo showed Lopez herself.

The comparison spread rapidly, turning an otherwise local Minnesota crime story into a viral celebrity-look-alike moment.

A Previous History of Arrests

The latest arrest was reportedly not Quast’s first encounter with law enforcement.

Online records cited in reports show previous arrests involving allegations including drug possession, driving while intoxicated, fleeing police and providing false identification, along with various traffic-related offenses. Those records concern previous encounters with police and do not by themselves establish guilt in every case.

For the Aug. 30 incident, Quast faces the theft allegation connected to the power-tool batteries.

From Local Arrest to Viral Moment

The episode is another example of how a booking photograph can suddenly attract attention far beyond the circumstances of an arrest.

In Quast’s case, it was not the alleged $580 theft that propelled the image across social media, but the resemblance viewers saw between an ordinary Minnesota resident and one of the world’s most recognizable entertainers.

For a few days, Quast became an unlikely internet doppelgänger for Lopez — transforming a police mugshot into a viral pop-culture curiosity.