Man Posing As Water Company Rep Gets Inside South River Home

SOUTH RIVER, NJ — A man posing as a water company employee got inside a woman's home in South River Wednesday, and police are now warning all area residents to be alert.

The incident happened Wednesday afternoon at a home off Burton Avenue in tiny South River: Sometime between 1:30 and 2 p.m., the homeowner, an elderly woman, said a man knocked on her door and said he was with the water utility and was testing for iron in the water. He was described as a white man, about 5'10'', 180 pounds with brown hair and wearing a blue jumpsuit. He showed the woman an ID badge, but she didn't have her glasses and could not make out the company's name, said Det. Sgt. Peter Roselli of the South River police.

She let him inside, but that's when she began to feel uncomfortable. The man kept trying to get her isolated in one area of the house, presumably so he could go through the rest of the home, but the elderly woman said she didn't feel comfortable leaving him alone.

"She told him she was going to call 911 and he did not take that well. He got angry and told her something to the effect of 'Go ahead and deal with the water issue on your own then, I'm leaving," Sgt. Roselli said. "He left and she called a few friends first and and then she called 911."

Fellow residents also reported seeing the man in the area yesterday. South River police now want all residents to be alert if a stranger shows up at your door.

"We often see these scams in the winter and they usually say they are with the water utility. That way one person can get the homeowner in the basement with the heater, while a second suspect can enter the home upstairs," he said. "Nothing was taken yesterday, and nobody was hurt, but this has been an ongoing issue and we want people to be aware."

South River Water Department and Electric Utility employees are not responsible for fixing problems or diagnosing problems inside of residences and will rarely have reason to ask to come inside your home, police said.

Legitimate utility (water, sewer, cable, telephone and electric) employees will all have proper identification and be willing to display it upon request. They will also be able to provide their supervisor’s phone number so you can verify their legitimacy.

If anyone claiming to be a utility employee comes to your residence without an appointment and requests entry, South River police ask residents to call 732-238-1000 immediately and do not wait to call.

Image via Morguefile