Theft By Extortion, Impersonating A Public Servant: Princeton Police Blotter

The following is a summary of incidents as reported by Princeton Police:

PRINCETON, NJ - On Feb. 4, at 2:08 a.m. , following an investigation for a single motor vehicle crash on Cherry Hill Road, the driver was found to be driving while intoxicated. The 24-year-old was placed under arrest and taken to police headquarters where he was processed. After the completion of his arrest processing, the Princeton resident was subsequently released to a sober adult. He was issued motor vehicle summonses for driving while intoxicated, reckless driving, failure to keep right, careless driving, and failure to maintain lane.

On Feb. 5, following a motor vehicle stop for failure to keep right, the driver was arrested after she was found to be driving while intoxicated. The East Windsor resident was placed under arrest and transported to police headquarters, where she was processed. After the completion of her arrest processing, the 30-year-old was released to a sober adult. She was issued motor vehicle summonses for driving while intoxicated, failure to keep right, reckless driving, and improper turn at a marked turning course.

On Feb. 6, patrols responded to police headquarters for a walk-in report of a past extortion/fraud incident. A man reported that on Feb. 4, he was contacted on WhatsApp by an unknown individual posing as a police officer and requesting money for a “friend in trouble.” The man later received additional messages from other unknown person who threatened to report him to the Guatemalan government. As a result, the man voluntarily sent multiple transfers totaling approximately $1,197.98. Two wire transfers were sent from locations in Princeton to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and additional transfers were made through the victim’s bank to an unknown recipient. The investigation is on-going.

On Feb. 7, following a motor vehicle stop for speeding, the driver was found to be operating a vehicle while intoxicated. The 19-year-old was placed under arrest and transported to headquarters for processing. After completion of his arrest processing, he was released to a sober adult. The Princeton resident was issued summonses for driving while intoxicated, operation of a vehicle while underage, speeding, careless driving, and reckless driving.

On Feb. 8, patrols responded to Herrontown Road for a report of stolen packages. The victim reported receiving delivery confirmations (with photos) from GOFO for two packages that were left outside exterior entrance doors: a SHEIN package delivered on Feb. 2, around 5:08 p.m., and a TikTok Shop package delivered on Feb. 7, around 10:17 p.m. The victim later discovered both packages were missing and reported a total loss of $124.62. Patrols observed a security camera in the main entry vestibule that may have captured the incident, and property management was contacted to request any available video footage. The investigation is on-going.

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