Toms River Man Fired From Sales Job Defrauded Company's Clients, Police Say

WALL, NJ — A Toms River man who was fired from his sales job is accused of defrauding clients by convincing them to send him Zelle payments to manage their accounts — accounts he no longer had access to manage, Wall police said Thursday.

Christopher T. Ross, 37, was arrested Aug. 15 following a multi-month investigation into financial fraud and unauthorized account solicitation, police said.

The investigation, led by Detective Tyler Driscoll, was initiated in April following reports of fraudulent activity, police said. Detectives learned Ross had been fired from a local business as a sales representative on Feb. 9, 2026, but continued to contact existing clients, authorities said.

Investigators learned through subpoenas served on financial institutions that the Zelle payments, which were fraudulent, were deposited into Ross's bank account and used for personal expenses, police said.

Police did not say how much he took from the clients.

He has been charged with two counts of theft by deception and one count of identity theft, police said.

Arrest warrants were issued for Ross on July 3 and he was listed as a wanted person in law enforcement databases as a wanted person, Wall police said.

He was arrested in Beachwood, Wall police said. The circumstances of that arrest and the exact date were not immediately known.

Wall police took custody of Ross on Aug. 15 and he was processed in Wall and taken to the Monmouth County jail pending a court appearance, police said.