Princeton Grandparent Scammed Out Of $7K

PRINCETON, NJ — A Princeton grandparent was reportedly scammed by someone claiming to be their grandson, police report.

The Gordon Way resident reported that on March 22 at 11 a.m. a person impersonating their grandson called them and said he was arrested and needed $7,000 for bail money.

The victim then sent $7,000 in cash via FedEx to the person they believed was a "bondsman" in Miami, Florida, police report.

The victim realized they were scammed when they spoke to their actual grandson the next day, police report.

Other Princeton Police blotter items:

On March 23 at 10:33 a.m.: The complainant reported that sometime between 11:50 p.m. on March 22 and 10:20 a.m. on March 23, someone forced entry through the rear door of the business in the 100 block of Nassau Street and stole several items. The items stolen were a Sentry safe, a shopping cart, and $3,192 in cash.

On March 23 at 2:06 p.m.: The complainant called 911 to report a "robbery" in progress at their business in the 800 block of State Road. Patrols from both Montgomery Township and Princeton arrived on scene and determined that a juvenile had shoplifted several packs of cigarettes. No weapons were involved. The juvenile was placed under arrest and was subsequently turned over to their parents at the scene.

On March 25 at 10:28 a.m.: Richard Gorman, 46, of Horsham, Pennsylvania was placed under arrest at police headquarters subsequent to an investigation for passing a bad check on Feb. 13. Gorman was charged with bad checks and later released on his own recognizance with an upcoming Superior Court Date.

On March 25 at 12:36 p.m.: The complainant reported that on March 23 at 6:51 p.m., a man entered the business in the 100 block of Nassau Street and purchased $74 worth of merchandise which he paid for with a counterfeit $100 bill. The complainant advised that the business did not know the bill was counterfeit until they attempted to deposit it at the bank. The suspect is described as a six foot tall black man, 30-35 years old, with a thin build and was wearing a blue stocking cap, a necklace, black and white Jordan XII sneakers, and a black T-shirt with a drawing of "Stewie Griffin" on the front.

On March 25 at 8:12 p.m.: Patrols placed Cornelius Toma, Jr., 42, of Princeton under arrest after he was found to have eight outstanding warrants out of Trenton and Bordentown totaling $2,351.98. Toma Jr. was transported to police headquarters where he was processed and later released on his own recognizance with new court dates.

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