Jen Diaz is a main character in Goosebumps: The Vanishing. She is portrayed by Ana Ortiz. A younger version of the character is portrayed by Isabella Ferreira.
Jen is a dedicated police detective who remains rooted in her Brooklyn neighborhood after experiencing a tragic event that involved her friends in adolescence. This past trauma has transformed her into a strict mother to Alex, driven by a deep commitment to safety.
History[]
In 1994, Jen became jealous when her newly-ex-boyfriend, Matty, was talking to Hannah Parker, a new student. She then played a "prank" on Hannah, stealing Hannah's clothes from her locker while she was in the shower and throwing them onto the sidewalk in front of people. She fought with Matty about it, wanting him to admit it was funny. He then tried to get Matty to agree to let her come to Camp Nightmare with them, as she'd heard they were going as the senior dare. When he refused, she said she hoped he and his friends died there. The night they went to the fort, Jen drove Anthony there to check on them. They found their clothes, but the four teens were missing. Anthony left to go call the police while Jen found the camera and took the tape from it.[1]
In 2023, Jen was upset when her daughter was arrested for arson. Alex tried to tell Jen that it wasn't her fault, but Jen didn't believe her and advised her not to say anything when a cop came to talk to her. Alex was sentenced to a year of juvenile detention. When she was released, she was put on probation, which included being monitored by an ankle bracelet.[2]
A year later, Jen came to the home of Anthony Brewer, who was staying in his mother's house after putting her in a nursing home. She told him that his neighbor, Joe Jr. had filed a harassment complaint against Anthony on behalf of his son, Trey, who had had conflicts with Anthony over Trey parking in Anthony's driveway, as he'd previously been allowed to. Jen told him she'd talk to Joe Jr. and smooth things over. Then she told him she pulled some strings when she heard Anthony was back in town and got his brother's belongings released. She handed him a bag that had Matty's clothes from the night he disappeared.[3]
After hearing there was a break-in at the old port and a transformer was vandalized, Jen went to see her daughter, Alex, who was doing community service, and asked if she knew anything about it. Alex denied knowing anything and said it would be stupid for her to try anything given that she'd just gotten out of juvie and didn't want to go back. Jen said she didn't want that either, so Alex asked why she sent her in the first place. When Jen said it wasn't like that, Alex told her it felt like it was.[4]
Anthony called Jen back to his house to show her that Trey had broken in and stolen something from him, though he refused to say what it was. They went to Trey's dad's garage, but Joe Jr. hadn't seen Trey and learned that Frankie hadn't either, which worried him. Jen then took Anthony back to the station so he could make a formal report. Anthony told her that Trey had disappeared, leaving only his clothes behind, and suggested it was connected to Matty's disappearance. Jen didn't believe they were connected, upsetting Anthony. When Jen learned that Trey's car was missing, she put out an APB. This led to someone calling about an accident involving Trey's car, but when she arrived, the car was gone and there was no trace of it. But Jen found Alex's phone on the ground nearby, indicating she'd been there. She began searching for Alex and found her walking home. Since it was nearly Alex's curfew, Jen used her lights and sirens to get them home in time. Then she asked Alex what had happened, since she knew Alex had been in Trey's car. Alex said she borrowed it, frustrating Jen, who knew she was lying. Their conversation was interrupted when Jen got a call from Anthony, who said he'd found Trey and he was right that it was happening again.[2]
The next morning, Jen dropped Alex off at her community service and tried to ask her what had happened the night before, but Alex refused to tell her anything. Jen then went to the hospital to question Trey. Anthony insisted on joining her and she agreed on the condition that he stay silent. They went to his room, where Ramona Pamani told them that Trey was exhibiting signs of PTSD or it could even be years before he could speak to them. Jen returned when Trey woke up and began speaking again. He told her the last thing he remembered was being outside Devin's house taking to Frankie. Then nothing.[5]
The next day, Jen dropped Alex off again and said she believed Alex when she said Trey's car drove itself. She warned Alex that she could be in danger and suggested she watch out. Then Jen went to Fort Jerome and dug up the tape she'd hidden there years ago. She took it to Anthony and explained that she could never bring herself to watch it, but thought it might have the answers they were looking for. Anthony was angry with her for keeping it from him and ordered her to leave.[6]
Jen returned to Anthony's place and said she needed to see what was on the tape, too. When she didn't get an answer, she tried calling him, but didn't get an answer there either. As she left, she ran into Joe Jr., who had an issue with neighbors letting their dogs poop on his yard. Jen asked if he'd seen Anthony. He said no, but he saw the teens leave. When Jen learned that Alex was with them, she called Officer Morales to get a favor with someone he knew in ankle bracelet monitoring.[7]
Morales told Jen that the system was working, but couldn't get a GPS location on Alex. He said she was probably fine, but was underground somewhere, like in a subway. Jen realized where she was and went to Fort Jerome, where she found Alex and her friends, plus Anthony and the four teens who had disappeared in 1994, including Matty. She screamed when she saw him.
They took everyone back to Anthony's, where Jen struggled to accept that she'd seen. She wanted to go to the authorities, but Anthony worried they'd take Matty away. Anthony said Ramona was the only person who would know what to do, so they went to her place. They found her working on her father, who had been in a pod like Matty and the others. He told Ramona he'd made a mistake and she needed to let it go. Then he coughed up a pod that encased him and turned him into a critter that attacked Jen and Anthony until Jen shot it with the serum gun. Jen took the gun with her and they went back to Anthony's place, as they realize the 1994 teens would do the same thing, putting their kids in danger. They arrived to find the kids already gone. Anthony realized they needed to release the ship to neutralize the threat. They went back to Fort Jerome and opened the floor, allowing the ship to leave. As it did, the critters all dissolved into it. The 1994 teens and the scientists all went with the aliens back to space while the 2024 teens were left unharmed.[8]
General Information[]
Personality[]
Physical appearance[]
Trivia[]
- She is in Alex's phone as "Officer Mom" with the ring tone "Sounds of Da Police" by KRS-One.[2]
- Matty's disappearance is why she became a cop.[5]
Gallery[]
Episode Stills[]
