Two Men From Romania Charged In Connection With Hoboken ATM Case

Editor's note: A person's name has been removed from this article because the charges against the individual were dismissed.

HOBOKEN, NJ — Hoboken police arrested two men from Romania on Sunday night after two off-duty officers were walking past a bank and spotted unusual activity near the ATM machine.

Police said that around 9:55 p.m., off-duty officers Anthony Rutkowski and Daniel Grossi of the Hoboken Police Department were walking in the area of 301 Washington St., said police. According to police, upon approaching Capitol One Bank, they saw someone in the lobby who appeared to be "attempting to pry open an ATM with some type of tool. "

Rutkowski reported the incident and they followed the suspect until uniformed officers and detectives arrived.

Conveniently, the suspect walked to the same block as the police station. He was stopped in the area of 235 Hudson St., police said.

On scene were Det. Sgt. Josue Velez, Det. Adam Colon, Officer William Bullock, Officer Nicklas Valarius, and Officer Harold Milne.

An on-scene investigation led to the arrest of Iulian Laurus, 30, who police say is from Romania. They also say that Iulian was found to be in possession of 1 ¼ inch chisel.

"The ATM machine was inspected and appeared to have damage consistent with a prying tool," police said. Laurus was transported to police headquarters for processing.

Meanwhile, a vehicle believed to belong to Laurus was located in the immediate area and was found to be parked illegally. The vehicle was towed to headquarters for investigation.

While police were waiting for the tow truck, they were approached by [name redacted], 27, who asked them about the car. Police investigated and arrested him too.

[Name redacted] was charged with Conspiracy to Commit Burglary and Criminal Attempt Theft. These charges have since been dismissed.

Laurus was charged with Conspiracy to Commit Burglary, Burglary, Theft of Identity, Credit Card Fraud, Criminal Attempt Theft of Movable Property, Hindering Apprehension, Fraudulent Government Documents, Criminal Mischief, and Possession of Burglar's Tools.

Both men were transported to the Hudson County Correctional Facility.

Police said, "Several thousand dollars were also confiscated as evidence believed to be proceeds from other ATMs. At this time no other Hoboken financial institutions have reported any theft from ATMs."

Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Meanwhile, a larger ATM scam was reported last week, involving dozens of people statewide. Read more here.

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