Rahway Police Officer Indicted for Theft From Woodbridge Walmart

Woodbridge, NJ - A Union County police officer was indicted Monday in an alleged shoplifting scheme he carried out at chain stores throughout Central New Jersey — including at the Woodbridge Walmart.

Police Officer Blake Clay, 33, lives in Rahway and worked as an officer with the Union County department — before he was arrested in May of this year. When he was arrested, Clay was suspended without pay pending adjudication of the case. He was indicted Monday and faces 3-5 years in prison.

From February through April of this year, he allegedly visited Walmarts and Targets in Clark, Edison, Linden, and Woodbridge multiple times. He used counterfeit barcodes to significantly lower the prices of items when they would be rung up, according to an investigation by the Union County Prosecutor’s Office’s Special Prosecutions Unit.

"This meant that on more than 10 occasions, he allegedly paid amounts of $1.50 to $4.50 for items actually ranging in price from $15.99 to $39.99," Union County Prosecutor Grace Park said.

The total value of the alleged theft amounted to approximately $650.