BROKEN ARROW, OK — A 43-year-old convenience store clerk is behind bars after a week-long multi-agency search for a missing 14-year-old girl ended with federal agents and local police rescuing the juvenile from a Tulsa-area hotel room.
Matthew Puza was arrested on Saturday, July 18, 2026, by the Broken Arrow Police Department (BAPD) and the FBI. He has been booked into custody on multiple charges including Lewd or Indecent Proposal to a Child, Harboring a Runaway Juvenile, and Obstructing an Officer.
Surveillance Video and License Plate Readers Unravel Trail
The search began on Saturday, July 11, 2026, when BAPD officers opened a runaway juvenile investigation for the missing 14-year-old girl. Recognizing the heightened risk to the child, BAPD enlisted the aid of its specialized Sexual Predator Investigations/Digital Evidence Recovery (SPIDER) Unit alongside federal partners at the FBI.
Although regional Endangered Missing Persons alerts generated several community tips, initial search efforts yielded no physical trace of the child.
A major breakthrough occurred on July 18 when FBI agents reviewing commercial security camera feeds located footage from July 11 showing the girl at a QuikTrip convenience store talking with Puza, who was working as an on-duty clerk.
Subsequent surveillance clips showed Puza walking the teenager out to a vehicle in the parking lot and later meeting up with her at a nearby restaurant.
Armed with Puza's vehicle description, investigators leveraged Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) networks to track the car's real-time movements. The digital network flagged the vehicle parked outside the Affordable Suites of America near 71st Street and Mingo Road.
Hotel Rescue and Uncooperative Suspect
Detectives and FBI agents converged on the extended-stay hotel and knocked on the door of the targeted room. Puza answered and was immediately taken into custody.
Inside the room, investigators found the missing 14-year-old girl unharmed. She was safely recovered and transported to a secure location to be reunited with family support services.
Detectives with the SPIDER Unit executed a search warrant on the room to gather additional digital and physical evidence. During post-arrest interrogations, authorities reported that Puza remained entirely uncooperative and refused to provide basic background information about himself to processing officers.
Potential Additional Victims: Due to the nature of the encounter and Puza's employment at a high-traffic retail location, detectives suspect there may be additional victims or unreported contacts. Anyone with relevant information or who has had prior interactions with Matthew Puza is urged to contact Tulsa Crime Stoppers at 918-596-COPS (referencing case 2026-033453).