Waitress from Hackettstown Steals $12K in Cash: Reports

HACKETTSTOWN, NJ — A waitress from Hackettstown stole almost $12,000 in cash paid by patrons of BlackStones Grill & Bar in Independence Township, authorities allege. Stella M. Pastucci, 46, took the money over the course of almost one year, from Oct. 2015 to Sept. 2016, NJ.com reports.

Peter Giller, the owner of Blackstones, said Pastucci never reported cash tabs. Since so many people pay with a credit card, the thefts were able to go unnoticed until this September, according to the report.

"If it was just a couple hundred dollars, I would have wrote it off as me being stupid" Giller said, regarding how he didn't realize sooner, to NJ.com. "But it was substantial."

Giller fired her in September.

A theft charge against Pastucci was filed last month in state Superior Court in Belvidere.

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