NJ Conman Swindles Elderly ‘Friend’ Out Of $25K, Police Say

PASSAIC COUNTY, NJ — A Passaic County man was scammed out of tens of thousands of dollars after being swindled by a car sale scheme, police said.

In January, Bloomingdale Police launched an investigation when a resident said their elderly family member had been taken advantage of, suffering the loss of several thousand dollars.

According to police, Branislav Vasljevic, 42, of Bridgewater, “befriended” the elderly victim before the scheme. Police added that through their interactions, Vasljevic gained the victim’s trust.

During these interactions, Branislav convinced the victim that he needed a new car and offered to facilitate the sale for him, police said. The victim gave Branislav the car so he could sell it for him, authorities added.

After asking the victim for money to cover “various fees” required in the transaction, Branislav sold the car and kept the proceeds, roughly $25,000, for himself, police said.

After gathering “key evidence,” police arrested Branislav on Friday and charged him with theft by deception.

Branislav was taken to the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office HUB to await court proceedings.