Scotch Plains Local Scammed Out Of Thousands Of Dollars

SCOTCH PLAINS, NJ — A Scotch Plains local was scammed out of thousands of dollars when someone claimed to work with Apple Link.

On Aug. 28, a resident on Mountain Avenue reported the fraud. The resident said someone claiming to represent Apple Link called them and said there were problems with the resident's account, Scotch Plains Police said.

The resident then purchased several thousands of dollars worth of Target and Best Buy gift cards and gave the caller the router numbers, police said.

The resident has not heard from the caller since then.

Other Scotch Plains Police blotter items:

On Aug. 28: Desmond T. Williams, 42, of Jersey City was arrested on an active warrant out of the Hudson County Sheriff’s Department during a motor vehicle stop conducted by Officer Stephanie Roggina. Also arrested during the stop was Suquana T. Allen, 40, of Jersey City who also had an active warrant out of the Hudson County Sheriff’s Department. Both parties were transported to headquarters and processed.

On Aug. 28: A business in the 600 block of Jerusalem Road reported damage to two vehicles which were parked on the property overnight. This is under investigation.

On Aug. 28: A resident on Washington Avenue reported fraudulent activity regarding their tax returns. This is under investigation.

On Aug. 28: A resident on Concord Road reported the theft of belongings from the front steps of their home. This is under investigation.

On Aug. 29: Areli Castillo, 20, of Carteret was arrested on an active warrant out of Carteret during a motor vehicle stop conducted by Patrolman Andrew Gitto. Castillo was transported to headquarters and processed.

On Aug. 30: A resident on E. Second Street reported a fraud. Someone opened a Verizon account in the victim’s name. This is under investigation.

On Aug. 31: Rashaan A. O’Neal, 31, of Newark was arrested on active warrants out of Newark during a motor vehicle stop conducted by Patrolman Gerard Rites. O’Neal was transported to headquarters and processed.

On Aug. 31: The management at the 7-11 store located at 302 Park Ave. reported a man entered the store and fled without paying for items. This remains under investigation.

On Sept. 3: Aaron K. Williams, 27, of Newark was arrested for possession of marijuana and possession of a knife during a motor vehicle stop conducted by Patrolman Mike Baltazar. Williams was transported to headquarters and processed.

On Sept. 4: Tony J. Ragland, 32, of Plainfield was arrested for possession of marijuana during a motor vehicle stop conducted by Patrolman Mike Smolinski. Ragland was transported to headquarters and processed.

On Sept. 5: Jimmy Garay-Rivera, 57, of Elizabeth was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia. Also arrested was Thomas W. Kelly, 50, of Rahway for possession of heroin, possession of drug paraphernalia and an active warrant out of Essex County. The arrests were the result of a suspicious motor vehicle investigation conducted by Patrolman Gerard Rites and Patrolman Chris Ostrowski. Kelly was transported to headquarters and processed.

On Sept. 5: Treshard B. Vandunk, 39, of Plainfield was arrested for possession of heroin, possession of cocaine, manufacture/distribute a controlled dangerous substance, possession of marijuana and an active warrant out of Clark. The arrest was the result of a motor vehicle stop conducted by Patrolman Damian Serafin. Vandunk was transported to headquarters and processed.

On Sept. 6: A resident on Morse Avenue reported fraudulent activity on a credit card account. This is under investigation.

On Sept. 6: The management at the Conoco Gas station located at 1500 Front St. reported someone paid for gas with a counterfeit $20 bill. This is under investigation.

On Sept. 6: Roberto Sorge, 45, of Scotch Plains was arrested on active warrants out of Cherry Hill and Orange during a motor vehicle stop conducted by Patrolman Andrew Gitto. Sorge was transported to headquarters and processed.

On Sept. 7: Kyle A. Wolf, 27, of Springfield was arrested for theft and active warrants out of Millburn and Madison during the course of an investigation conducted by Patrolman Jason Everitt. Wolf was transported to headquarters and processed.

On Sept. 8: Patrolman Bryan Frew was dispatched to the Red Pepper Indian Cuisine restaurant located at 2520 Rt. 22 on a report of a smoke condition. He located smoke coming from the roof area of the building. The Scotch Plains Fire Department responded and was able to put out a small fire in the kitchen area. The building was unoccupied. No injuries reported.

On Sept. 8: Katiuska E. Ojeda, 24 of Roselle was arrested on an active warrant out of Roselle Park during a motor vehicle stop conducted by Sgt. Dave Lavery. Ojeda was transported to headquarters and processed.

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