Taylor Swift Ticket Scam Costs Westfield Resident $1,000

WESTFIELD, NJ — A Taylor Swift ticket scam, a home and car burglary, and more were reported in the most recent police blotter in Westfield.

Taylor Swift Ticket Scam

On May 18 at 5:12 p.m., a 100 block of Mohawk Trail resident reported being a victim of fraud while trying to purchase four concert tickets for Taylor Swift through Facebook Marketplace.

The victim reports that they paid $1,000 via Zelle to the suspects and received a screenshot of the alleged tickets they were purchasing. The remaining balance of $400 was to be paid separately.

Before making the final payment for the tickets, the victim realized that the transaction was not legitimate and no further funds were paid.

The victim never received the concert tickets and suffered a monetary loss of $1,000 as a result of the fraud, said police.

Home Burglary

On May 20 at 5:25 p.m., a resident reported three black men in black hooded sweatshirts approached a white Mercedes G Wagon at the corner of Wychwood Road and Cherry Lane. The three men then left the area toward Woodland Avenue in a navy-blue BMW with a Pennsylvania registration.

Later that day at 5:27 p.m., police were called to Cherry Lane and found a residential burglary. A further investigation revealed that the resident’s 2023 Range Rover was stolen during this incident.

Surveillance video revealed that the suspects arrived in a blue colored BMW sedan and backed the car into the victim's driveway.

Suspect #1 is described as a black man wearing a grey-colored hooded sweatshirt, blue-colored surgical mask, and black-colored sweatpants, with white-colored socks and black-colored sneakers, said police.

The first suspect exited the driver-side rear door of the BMW and ran up the driveway to the garage door, said police.

Suspect #2 is described as a black man, wearing a black-colored ski mask, a black-colored hooded sweatshirt with white-colored strips down the right sleeve, black-colored jeans, black-colored gloves and black-colored sneakers, said police.

The second suspect also exits the driver-side rear door of the BMW and ran around the back of the vehicle up to the side door of the home which was left unlocked before entering the house. The home was unoccupied at the time.

Suspect #3, who is described as a black man, wearing all black with small white accents on his sweatshirt and sneakers, exits the passenger side rear door of the BMW, runs over to the Range Rover parked in the driveway and enters the Range Rover, said police.

The suspects then fled the area with the Range Rover along with the BMW. The Range Rover was eventually recovered, unoccupied, in Norwalk CT, said police.

Other Police Blotter items from May 14 to May 20:

On May 15 at 1:37 a.m.: Officer Perconte stopped a motor vehicle for traffic violations in the area of East South Avenue and Central Avenue. A further investigation revealed that the driver Charleset Baker, 36, Linden, was wanted on an outstanding traffic warrant issued by the Linden Municipal Court in the amount of $185. Baker was released on his own recognizance and provided a new court date to appear at Linden Municipal Court. He was issued two motor vehicle summons as a result of the traffic stop and released.

On May 15 at 5 a.m.: Patrol officers were dispatched to a business in the 300 block of Springfield Avenue on the report of a burglary and theft of two motor vehicles. A further investigation revealed that the suspects forced entry to the business and stole two motor vehicles. One of the stolen vehicles was recovered by officers searching the area around a mile from the business, parked, and unoccupied, in the 500 block of Springfield Avenue. The second stolen vehicle was recovered, parked, and unoccupied, in Newark.

On May 15 at 9:24 a.m.: A resident of the 600 block of Short Hills Court reported an incident of criminal mischief. According to the resident, her vehicle was parked in the roadway near her home when someone broke all three windshield wipers on her vehicle. The owner estimated the damage resulting from this criminal mischief incident to be around $80.

On May 15 at 3:24 p.m.: A 51-year-old man from Elizabeth was placed under arrest for driving while intoxicated, pursuant to a welfare check in the 200 block of East South Avenue. He was taken to Westfield Police Department where he was processed and released.

On May 16 at 1:30 p.m.: A Westfield resident reports a theft of his bicycle from the Northside Train Station Lot. The bicycle, described as a black "Infinity," valued at around $400, was secured in the lot by lock and chain at around 6:40 a.m. At around 1:30 p.m., the lock was found to be damaged and the bicycle missing. The damaged lock is valued at around $30.

On May 16 at 2:07 p.m.: A resident of Barchester Way reports an unauthorized Bank of America account being opened. The account was opened on May 8 by someone using the victim's identifying information. The suspect opened the account online.

On May 19 at 12:38 p.m.: A party reports that jewelry that was left at a business in the 100 block of Elmer Street to be sold through consignment was not returned. The party is reporting the jewelry as stolen. The approximate value of the jewelry is $120.

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