Craigslist Buyers Rob Seller At West Orange Shopping Center: Report

West Orange, NJ – A pair of Craigslist buyers allegedly robbed a Pennsylvania man and dragged him through a New Jersey shopping center parking lot Tuesday during a transaction gone wrong, a report says.

A West Orange township spokesperson told NJ.com that the 42-year-old Pennsylvania man was selling jewelry on Craigslist and arranged to meet a pair of potential buyers at the Essex Green Shopping Center in New Jersey.

When the male and female buyers refused to pay, a struggle broke out which ended with the seller being dragged through the parking lot and the would-be buyers escaping with the jewelry, the spokesperson said.

The seller reportedly suffered minor injuries and refused medical treatment.

SAFE ZONES

Several other Craigslist-related robberies have taken place in the Garden State over the past few years.

• See related article: Police Arrest Montclair Craigslist Stabbing Suspect
• See related article: Ocean City Man Sentenced For Craigslist Robbery Scheme

In response, several municipal police departments, including the West Orange Police Department, have created “safe exchange zone” for Internet-based transactions such as those that originate on Craigslist.

“Recent national incidents have indicated that in-person sales, transactions and exchanges originating from online marketplaces such as Craigslist have experienced an increase in violence, fraud and theft by deception,” the West Orange Police Department states on the municipal website. “In an effort to promote safer transactions between strangers, we are encouraging residents to use their local police department parking lots and lobbies as a meeting place for in-person transactions to occur.”

The WOPD states:

“The West Orange Police Department encourages all residents to engage in such transactions during daylight hours, to bring a cell phone along in case of emergency, to notify friends or family of the intention to meet to conduct such a transaction, to never invite strangers to the home or agree to meet at a stranger’s home, and to reconsider any transaction with someone who refuses to meet at a police department.”

Read more about the WOPD’s safe zone policy and location here.

Multiple other New Jersey police departments have enacted similar programs.

• See related article: East Brunswick Creates 'Safe Zone' for Craigslist Sales
• See related article: Buying On Craigslist? Manchester Sets Safe Zone For Transactions
• See related article: 'Safe Exchange Zone' for Craigslist Sales Created in South Brunswick

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