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Hannis M. Bridges Jr., 23, was in the Central Boulevard post office on April 14 when a female lookout in his car outside called and said he was getting a parking ticket, Police Chief Benjamin Ramos told CLIFFVIEW PILOT this morning.
Bridges ran out the door with $500 worth of ilegally-purchased gift cards, leaving the receipts on the counter, he said.
Borough Special Police Officer Nelson Then — who wrote the ticket and spoke with Bridges — then went into the post office and was told that some of the cards had been declined.
Then Detective George Beck went to work.
“It took a bit of legwork, but he put all the pieces together,” the chief said.
Although he’d used a different name to buy the gift cards, Bridges was driving his own car. Police had his license and registration number.
But the receipts had the last four digits of the victim’s credit card number on them.
Beck determined that Bridges had “gone on a shopping spree” immediately after buying the cards.
“Within an hour all the money was gone,” Ramos said.
Beck eventually made the connection, then called Bridges, who turned himself in last night.
He posted $10,000 bail and was released on two counts of credit card fraud.
“He was smart enough to come up with this scheme but not enough to park his car legally,” Ramos said.
An investigation was continuing.
MUGSHOT: Courtesy PALISADES PARK PD
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