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Scam ALERT: 'Traveler' Busted In Attempted $15K Driveway Repair Ripoff In Upper Saddle River

A transient was arrested after scamming an Upper Saddle River homeowner out of $2,000 and then demanding $13,000 more, authorities said.

William Connors

William Connors

Photo Credit: Upper Saddle River PD / BCJ (inset)

William Connors, 50, solicited the work from a resident on the north side of town by offering "leftover materials from a nearby job," USR Police Capt. Edward Kane said.

Connors got a $2,000 down payment for the fraud on Wednesday, Oct. 4, then returned to the victim's home on Thursday and insisted on $13,000 more, the captain said.

The driveway had to be entirely replaced as a result, Kane noted.

Connors, meanwhile, was arrested by borough police who discovered that he was wanted for similar crimes in Montgomery County, PA, the captain said.

Connors, a "traveler" with no fixed address, was charged with theft by deception and hindering apprehension. He remained held Friday in the Bergen County Jail pending a first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack. 

Travelers move around the East Coast using scams and diversions to get into people’s pocketbooks.

Despite such real-life stories, longtime experience shows that some homeowners still fall for it, especially when it comes to the driveway scam.

In the end, residents get a patch instead of a fix, or, worse, oil sprayed on to make the driveway look freshly paved. Then they're socked with an outrageous bill.

They have no recourse once the strangers have moved on, seeking — and hitting — targets elsewhere.

ANYONE else who may have been targeted or victimized by Connors is asked to contact Upper Saddle River police: (201) 327-2700.

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