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Dexter Davis, 45, of the Bronx was waiting for a ride from one of the youngsters this morning at the corner of Hudson and Essex Streets — across from the Bergen County Courthouse — when city police nabbed him, Barrios said.
It began when Davis called a Hackensack High School counselor, offering jobs for students at his company, “I Believe I Can Fly (IBICF),” and requesting a list of names, Barrios said. Rather than supply a list, the counselor passed the word on to students, the lieutenant said.
Bogus business card / COURTESY Ch. 7 EYEWITNESS NEWS
The teens were directed to what Davis said was his office at 343 River Street in Hackensack — actually, a McDonald‘s, Barrios told CLIFFVIEW PILOT. There, they gave Davis their resumes, the lieutenant said.
Davis, in turn, gave them flyers and raffle tickets that he said were to be sold for $1 each, Barrios said. In return, he promised them $10 to $12 an hour for their work, the lieutenant said.
However, “he never tells them what the prize is and he never tells him when the drawing is, Barrios told CLIFFVIEW PILOT. “ ‘We can choose the prize later,’ he told them.
“He’s got boxes and boxes of these flyers. The kids think they’re gonna get paid for selling them.”
One of the teens was more skeptical than the others, however: So she Google’d Davis’s name and found Channel 7 Eyewitness News reports about similar scams out of Hoboken and Manhattan.
The most recent televised exclusive was aired after an administrator at the Star Academy, a culinary high school in Manhattan‘s Chelsea area, called Eyewitness News after Davis arranged a meeting at the school.
Reporter Jeff Pegues confronted Davis, who bolted the Star Academy, running down 10 flights of steps, finding a basement door to the street and then jumping a turnstile at a 14th Street subway station.
“And then he jumped onto the tracks,” Pegues said, standing at the turnstile. “Looks like for now he got away.”
Police in Cherry Hill arrested Davis in June and turned him over to Hoboken authorities. Early last week, he turned up in Hackensack.
The Hackensack High School teen who found the Eyewitness News reports notified the school resource officer, Hackensack Police Detective Kenneth Martin, and the hunt was on.
It didn’t take long for Detectives Joe Alayoubi and Robert Carucci to assemble their case. Police were up bright and early this morning, waiting for Davis, who showed up for an arranged meeting with a teen.
Davis is being held on $10,000 bail at the Bergen County Jail, charged with wrongful impersonation.
VIDEO OF THIS MORNING’S ARREST:
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