Man Scammed South Brunswick Seniors, Police Say

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — A Bronx man is charged with scamming South Brunswick senior citizens, telling them a family member was in jail and he needed money to post the bond.

Police say Osvaldo Thomas, 41, of Bronx, N.Y., worked his scam in South Brunswick, Bound Brook, Sussex County, Gloucester Twp. and Cherry Hill.

The charges were announced by acting Camden County Prosecutor Jill Mayer. He is charged with multiple counts of impersonation and theft by deception.

Detectives said Thomas was part of a scheme targeting elderly victims who were told a family member was in jail and needed money to post bond. Police say they have surveillance footage that shows a man, identified as Thomas, and his car as he went to the victims’ homes to collect the money.

In one case, Thomas called a Kendall Park woman in her 70s, pretending to be a lawyer. He told her her son had been arrested and she needed to post nearly $20,000 in cash. The suspect came to her home and she turned over the cash.

South Brunswick detectives worked quickly and learned Thomas' license plate. South Brunswick police detectives worked with the FBI and the New Jersey State Police to locate him and he was arrested in North Jersey less than an hour from when the victim gave him the money.

Police said Thomas was also able to steal $27,000 from the Gloucester Twp. victim, and $10,300 from a victim in Cherry Hill.

Thomas is being held in the Camden County Jail awaiting a pretrial detention hearing.