Woman Scamming People By Asking For 'Baby Stuff': Union Police

UNION, NJ — Police are warning local residents of a panhandling scam where a woman tried to pull on motorists' heart strings by holding a sign with a picture of a baby and asking for money at a busy intersection in Union Township on Monday.

"It is nice to be charitable, but it's not a good idea to donate to someone on the side of the road with a sign. If you see someone who may need help, you can call our headquarters and our officers will respond and assess," Township of Union NJ Police Department stated.

A woman (pictured), who claimed to be from Romania and is now living in Queens, New York, was found by Union Township Street Crimes Unit officers walking in and out of traffic on Vauxhall Road at Hilton Avenue for the Route 78 west exit with a sign "attempting to scam people passing by," police report.

The woman was holding a sign with a picture of a baby that read "I have 1 baby. Please in the name of God help me to buy baby stuff and diapers."

The woman was asking for cash for her baby, but officers pointed out that she had a $500 purse, some jewelry and a new iPhone X and did not appear to be in critical need of cash, according to police.

She later admitted that she and several other women got dropped off to panhandle throughout New Jersey, following a police investigation.

She was issued a ticket for impeding the flow of traffic and received a township summons for soliciting without a permit.

Have a news tip? Email alexis.tarrazi@patch.com.

Get Patch breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our new app. Download here.