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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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