Slew Of Fraud, Identity Theft Incidents Reported In Westfield

WESTFIELD, NJ — Westfield Police released the blotter for last week which included identity theft, car burglaries, DWI arrest, and more.

Westfield Police Blotter from April 23 to April 29:

On April 23 at 6:53 p.m.: A 500 block of Washington St. resident reported that he received fraudulent charges from Sephora on their American Express Card. The resident also reported that his card was used to pay a parking fine in New York City.

On April 23 at 9:39 p.m.: Malcolm Lovett, 25, of Colonia, was arrested pursuant to a motor vehicle stop on Central Avenue and Greene Place due to having an outstanding warrant. Lovett was photographed and released with a new court date from the scene.

On April 24 at 6:09 a.m.: A motorist saw a suspicious vehicle enter the property of a closed business on Springfield Avenue and E. Broad Street. Shortly later the motorist saw the vehicle exit the parking lot and leave the area. It is believed the occupants of the suspicious vehicle were attempting to enter a vehicle on the property in question but were unable to do so.

On April 24 at 7:35 p.m.: A wallet located on Saint Marks Avenue was brought to Westfield Police Headquarters by an anonymous citizen. The wallet was placed into Westfield Police Evidence for safekeeping.

On April 25 at 2:58 a.m.: A 700 block of Fairacres resident reports a burglary to their vehicle that resulted in a theft of property. The resident said someone entered their parked vehicle overnight and stole the victim’s purse from inside the vehicle. The victim reports around $400 in cash was in the purse at the time of the theft. The victim also reports that the remaining contents of the purse that were stolen had an approximate value of $170. The resident’s vehicle had no signs of damage and it appears it was unlocked at the time of the theft.

On April 24 at 4:54 p.m.: A 800 block of Rahway Ave. resident reports that they were the victim of fraudulent charges to a credit card account. The resident states that someone made fraudulent charges without their approval or authorization. The resident reports additionally that there were two separate sets of incidents of identity theft. In both of these incidents, someone tried to open a line of credit with a department store. Neither line of credit was approved. The resident has suffered no financial loss.

On April 26 at 9:59 a.m.: A Pine Court resident reports that they were the victim of Identity Theft. Specifically, that someone opened a credit card account at a financial institution in their name. The resident stated that they are unaware who opened the account without their authorization or what information was used to open the account. The victim reports no financial loss at this time.

On April 27 at 12 p.m.: Officer Jacques took a report of Criminal Mischief that occurred in Westfield Municipal Lot #4. The complainant states that she parked her vehicle in space #447 for an appointment at a nearby business. When she returned to her vehicle, a white-colored 2018 Jeep, she saw the gas tank to be open with the words "I hate jeep" carved into the hood, as well as scratches to the front headlights and grill.

On April 27 at 2 p.m.: A resident responded to Westfield Police Headquarters and turned over an undisclosed amount of cash that was found in the area of Tamaques Park. The found currency was inventoried and secured for safekeeping at Westfield Police Headquarters.

On April 27 at 2:19 p.m.: Manahia J. Lee, 21, of Roselle, was placed under arrest on the strength of a $109 traffic warrant out of Roselle Municipal Court pursuant to a motor vehicle stop on East South Avenue near Sussex Street. She was processed at the scene and released on her own recognizance pending court appearance.

On April 28 at 12:38 a.m.: Officer Natale arrested a 60-year-old Westfield man for driving while intoxicated, in violation of N.J.S.A. 39:4-50, pursuant to a motor vehicle stop investigation. Reinhard was issued motor vehicle summonses with a mandatory Westfield Municipal Court appearance date, and released on his own recognizance to a responsible adult.

On April 28 at 9 a.m.: A resident of the 700 block of Crescent Parkway reported an incident of fraud and identity theft. She stated that she learned from a collections company that someone opened a T-Mobile account in her name and that the account had an outstanding balance of $3,000. She filed a fraud case with T-Mobile and disputed the charges. At the time of this report, the resident did not suffer any monetary loss.

On April 28 at 1:26 p.m.: A Barchester Way resident reported an incident of identity theft and fraud. According to the resident, on April 18, someone used her identity to open a fraudulent credit card account. She contacted her financial institution and closed the account prior to the card being activated. The resident did not suffer any monetary loss as a result of this incident.

On April 28 at 4:20 p.m.: A 100 block of Surrey Lane resident reported being a victim of fraud and identity theft. According to the victim, someone used her identity to fraudulently withdraw $3,000 from her bank account. This incident allegedly took place at a bank located in New York state.

On April 29 at 12:44 p.m.: A 200 block of E. Dudley Ave. resident reported an incident of identity theft and fraud which occurred on April 25. The resident stated that someone stole his identity and used it to change the contact information on his line of credit loan. This incident was reported to his financial institution and the resident did not suffer any monetary loss.

On April 29 at 1:12 p.m.: A resident reported being a victim of identity theft and fraud. The victim stated someone changed the password to her online account. When the victim attempted to reset her password, she learned that someone withdrew $9,000 from her bank account. Furthermore, her address was changed, and someone requested a new bank card to be mailed to the changed address. The victim disputed the withdrawal with the bank and is awaiting pending investigation results.

On April 29 at 2:17 p.m.: Jilson Guardado-Menjivar, 43, of Plainfield, was arrested on the strength of two outstanding Plainfield Municipal Court warrants in the amount of $750, pursuant to a traffic investigation that took place in the area of South Avenue and Central Avenue. He was processed at the scene and released on his own recognizance pending court appearance.

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