Former Spotswood Mayor Arrested, Charged With Theft

SPOTSWOOD, NJ — The former mayor of Spotswood was arrested Tuesday morning and charged with stealing from a scholarship fund set up to honor the memory of a Spotswood EMT. Nicholas Poliseno, 39, of Spotswood turned himself in to authorities at the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office at 10 a.m. this morning, Tuesday, Oct. 10. He is charged with one count of theft in the third degree.

Police said that in June 2016, Poliseno withdrew money from the scholarship fund and used it for gambling in Atlantic City. The Hinal Patel Scholarship Fund was set up to honor the memory of a Spotswood Emergency Medical Technician and is awarded annually to a deserving student at Spotswood High School. Hinal Patel, a 22-yeard old EMT, died in the line of duty on July 25, 2015 when the ambulance she was riding in was stuck by a car.

The investigation is active and is continuing. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Kevin Schroeck of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office at (732) 745-3927.

Poliseno was processed and released pending his initial court appearance in Middlesex County Superior Court on November 9, 2017.