Diversion Thieves Steal $5,000 From Bergen Grandmother: Police

A Bergen County grandmother had $5,000 stolen from her during a diversion scheme Thursday, police said.

The elderly Saddle Brook woman, who lives alone, answered the doorbell at about 4:30 p.m. and met a man who said he needed to check the gas utility lines in the basement, said Chief Robert Kugler.

When the woman questioned the issue, the man quickly showed her what appeared to an identification badge and said it was "a life or death emergency," Kugler said.

The woman let the man line and accompanied him to the basement where he checked the gas lines to the washer and dryer and put them on to make noise; he left after several minutes, the chief said.

The woman later looked in her dresser drawers and in a separate cabinet and found that more than $5,000 was missing, Kugler said.

While the woman was with the man, an accomplice entered the house and quickly rifled through the bedroom looking for cash and valuables, he said.

"This is a very common type of scam and one of the most dangerous due to a resident being home alone with one or more burglars occupying the home and one which often times prey on elderly people, who are not only more physically vulnerable, but also are more likely to be trusting that the person is really reporting an emergency to them and want to make sure their home is safe for them to live," Kugler said.

The man the woman was with is described as a middle-aged, Hispanic, with light-brown skin. He was wearing jeans, a baseball cap and sunglasses, Kugler said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Saddle Brook Police Detective Scott Habermann at 201-843-7000.

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Photo: A police sketch of one of the men in the diversion burglary. Courtesy of Saddle Brook Police Department/State Police