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Squatter Who Took Over Monmouth County Homes Escapes From Psych Hospital: Cops
Authorities are searching for a 39-year-old man who walked away from Trenton Psychiatric Hospital, months after being charged with squatting in two vacant homes and falsely claiming ownership, officials said.
Markies Wells, who also goes by Messiah Law-Elbey, was last seen at 4:08 a.m. on Friday, March 7, wearing a green jumpsuit, according to Ewing Police. He is described as 5-foot-11, 200 pounds, with a full beard and dreadlocks, police said.
Wells was accused of breaking into and illegally living in multiple homes in Monmouth County, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago said.
Kea…
$700K Gold, Bitcoin Theft: ‘PayPal’ Poser From NJ Scams Elderly PA Man, DA Says
A slick con artist posing as a PayPal agent scammed a 74-year-old Pennsylvania man out of nearly $700,000 in gold and cryptocurrency, authorities revealed on Friday, Feb. 28.
Hirtik Hemchand Khatri, 24, of Lawrence Township, New Jersey, allegedly orchestrated a high-stakes fraud that convinced the victim to empty his savings, fearing he’d be arrested if he didn’t comply, Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan and Whitehall Township Police Chief Michael Marks said.
Khatri, who twice showed up at the victim’s home in a Mercedes-Benz to collect hundreds of thousands of dollars in gol…
Suspended Attorney Stole Clients Cash In NJ, PA Real Estate Scam: DA
A suspended real estate attorney is accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from clients in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, prosecutors announced on Monday, Feb. 24.
James "Jim" J. Vassallo Jr., 55, of Voorhees, New Jersey, was arrested for misappropriating funds while handling a Downingtown, Pennsylvania, home purchase in early 2023, the Chester County District Attorney’s Office said. Despite having his Pennsylvania law license suspended since August 2018, Vassallo allegedly continued to act as an attorney, taking money from his clients under false pretenses.
The victims wired funds …
$40K In Eggs Stolen From Distribution Trailer: Police
Amid the avian flu outbreak, authorities are investigating the theft of "high-value goods" from a Pennsylvania business, State Police announced on Tuesday, Feb. 4.
Approximately 100,000 organic eggs, valued at $40,000, were stolen from a distribution trailer at Pete and Gerry's Organics in Antrim Township, according to PSP Chambersburg.
The theft occurred sometime overnight on Saturday, Feb. 1, at the Commerce Avenue facility, troopers detailed in the release.
Investigators are asking anyone with information about the incident to contact PSP Chambersburg at 717-264-5161.
Man Used Crowbar, Hammer To Burglarize Businesses In 5 NJ Towns: Cops
A Milltown man has been charged in connection with a string of burglaries that occurred across Somerset County in December 2024, authorities announced.
Gabriel Bay, 56, was arrested on Dec. 17, 2024, following a joint investigation by the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Burglary Unit and police departments from Bedminster, Warren, Branchburg, Bernards, and Green Brook. The burglaries spanned five townships, targeting convenience stores, restaurants, and other businesses between Dec. 3 and 16, Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald said.
Surveillance footage captured Bay using …
Disbarred Lawyer Stole $1 Mil+ From Clients: Monmouth County Prosecutor
A 49-year-old disbarred Hazlet lawyer was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Friday, Jan. 17, after he admitted to stealing nearly $1.18 million from more than 60 clients.
Steven Salami is also ordered to pay the full amount of stolen funds, back to the New Jersey Lawyers’ Fund for Client Protection, which had previously reimbursed his clients, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago said.
From April to August 2019, while working as an attorney, Salami took $300,000 from four victims as part of real estate transactions, Santiago said. Salami put the money in escrow, but f…
State Worker Steals $130K From Mom Who Killed Both Sons Then Fled To NJ For Drugs: DA
A Philadelphia woman stole over $130,000 from a former Norristown State Hospital resident who was convicted of murdering her two young sons, using the funds for personal expenses, including a Puerto Rico vacation, officials announced on Monday, Dec. 23.
Bridget Nicole Compton, 51, is accused of stealing $132,480.01 from the TD Ameritrade account of Trinh Nguyen, a former Norristown State Hospital resident, officials in Bucks County, PA said. Nguyen is currently serving two life sentences for fatally shooting her sons, 13-year-old Jeffrey “JT” Tini and 9-year-old Nelson Tini, in their Upper M…
NJ Police Sergeant Tests Positive For Meth, Took Drugs From Evidence Room: Prosecutor
A police sergeant in Hammonton is facing multiple charges after testing positive for methamphetamine and taking drugs from the department's evidence room, authorities said.
Detective Sergeant Robert Zbikowski, 45, of Hammonton, was charged on Monday, Nov. 25, with second-degree official misconduct, second-degree pattern of official misconduct, third-degree theft by unlawful taking, and two fourth-degree charges: tampering with physical evidence and obstruction of law, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office.
In 2024, the Hammonton Police Department contacted the Atlantic County…
Newark Man Followed Woman, Broke Into Car: Raritan PD
A 27-year-old Newark man was arrested and charged on Tuesday, Nov. 12, after he followed a woman and then broke into her car in May 2023 in Raritan, authorities said.
On Tuesday, May 23, 2023, officers responded to Janssen Pharmaceuticals for a burglary to a motor vehicle, Raritan police said. A woman reported her 2017 Kia Sportage had been broken and a tote bag containing $544 was missing, police said.
The woman had withdrawn money from a bank in Somerville and was followed to the pharmacy by Nicholas Florez-Sanchez, police said. Flores-Sanchez broke into her vehicle after she exited to go…
NJ Apartment Association Bookkeeper Who Stole $357K Learns Prison Sentence
A former bookkeeper for the New Jersey Apartment Association has been sentenced to prison and ordered to pay restitution for stealing $357,250 from the organization, authorities said.
Karly Simon-Sapp, 50, of Plumsted Township, was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Kenneth T. Palmer to five years New Jersey State Prison and ordered to pay $357,520 in restitution, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said. She previously had pleaded guilty to theft.
Between January 2016 and January 2022, Simon-Sapp, in her capacity as a bookkeeper for the New Jersey Apartment Association, forged the …
North Jersey Trio Stole $100K+ In Business Checks From Jersey Shore Mailboxes, Police Say
Two men and a woman from North Jersey were accused of stealing more than $100,000 in business checks from Wall Township mailboxes, authorities said.
James Miller, 37, of Passaic; Kaleik Easton, 29, of Bloomfield; and Asia Harrell, 31, also from Bloomfield; were arrested, the Wall Township Police Department said in a news release.
Investigators said businesses were defrauded out of more than $100,000 after checks were taken from their mailboxes. Police executed two search warrants at the suspects' homes and they were taken into custody on Wednesday, Sept. 19.
Detectives …
Killer Who Made Pit Stop At Cape May Wawa Gets Life In PA Coworker's Murder
A man described by authorities as a "violent predator" was sentenced to life in prison without parole on Monday, Sept. 9 for kidnapping, robbing, and killing a Pennsylvania co-worker, authorities announced.
Michael Allen Stark, 50, of Royersford, PA was found guilty by a Bucks County jury of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, robbery, kidnapping, theft by unlawful taking, flight to avoid apprehension, and abuse of a corpse, according to District Attorney Jennifer Schorn and court records.
Stark's victim was 50-year-old Matthew James Branning of Sellersville, who went missing after l…
Trio Stole Motorcycles, ATV From Central Jersey Dealership: Police
Three men were accused of stealing five motorcycles and an ATV from a Middletown dealership, authorities said.
Joshua Hueston, 28, of Union City; Ronald Terry, 33, of Newark; and Luis Ruben Cuevas, 30, of Brooklyn, NY; were arrested on Monday, Aug. 26, the Middletown Township Police Department said in a news release. Officers responded to the burglary at the Motorcycle Mall of Monmouth on Route 35 at around 3:06 a.m.
Investigators said the men were using two stolen work vans to take motorcycles. Police found five motorcycles and an ATV worth about $56,000 stolen from the…
