Responding officers issued summonses to Paul Doyle, 36, of Paterson (above, left) and 36-year-old Butler resident John Szkapiak (right) after catching the pair with two buckets filled with $500 in cash outside the ShopRite in the downtown Palisade Court shopping center on Aug. 3.
Both were wearing camouflage pants at a table they’d set up, complete with an American flag draped over it and Wounded Warrior Project brochures on display, Capt. Timothy Torell told CLIFFVIEW PILOT.
Doyle: Seen him? Call Englewood police: (201) 568-2711
“They also had 501(C)(3) literature displayed, giving the impression to the public that they were a legitimate solicitor for the WWP,” Torell said.
They didn’t have a permit or permission — and admitted that “they were in no way connected” to the popular charity, he said.
The officers issued summonses and seized all of the cash and property, Torell said.
Detectives confirmed that neither man was affiliated with the WWP and that the two had recently pulled similar scams throughout New Jersey, he said.
After obtaining arrest warrants alleging theft by deception and wrongful impersonation, they arrested Szkapiak at his home last week. He was being held on $25,000 bail at the Bergen County Jail.
Doyle has remained a fugitive, however.
Torell asked that anyone who sees him, or knows where to find him, call Englewood police: (201) 568-2711
PHOTOS: Courtesy ENGLEWOOD PD
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