Fraud, theft, fire highlights police department's week in lacey

LACEY TOWNSHIP, NJ – Below is a list of incidents reported by the Lacey Township Police Department.

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Fraud- On Friday, May 7, 2021, at 9:40 a.m., Officer Jason Lee met with a Township resident reporting fraud. The victim reported seeing a fraudulent charge on his bank statement and contacted the attached phone number. The suspect identified himself as a member of the Geek Squad and was permitted access to the victim’s computer. The suspect explained that he credited the victim’s account twice accidentally and arranged to have the victim send funds back. After transferring a large amount of cash, the victim realized that the transfer was to a fraudulent account.

Arrest- On Friday, May 7, 2021, at 6:45 p.m., officers responded to the Mercer County Correctional Facility to take custody of Michael Ritz, 27. Ritz was charged with Shoplifting from an incident that occurred at the CVS on March 25, 2021. The investigation was assigned to the detective bureau after Ritz stole perfume and cologne valued at $850. Ritz was identified through surveillance video collected at several different locations. He was lodged in the Ocean County Correctional Facility without bail after being processed.

Fraud- On Monday, May 10, 2021, at 4:53 p.m., Officer Dan Ricciardella documented a fraud report from a Lanoka Harbor resident. The victim was alerted by Amazon that he would be receiving a laptop delivery. Knowing that he did not place an order, the victim contacted the Amazon phone number, which was fraudulent. The victim was convinced to supply the suspect with $4,700 prior to realizing the matter was fictitious.

Fire- On Tuesday, May 11, 2021, at 12:07 p.m., patrol officers were dispatched to a possible structure fire on Beach Boulevard. Officers discovered a fully engulfed fire that had spread into the attic. Detective Brian Flynn and members of the Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office determined that the fire originated outside the rear door of the home, igniting the siding and spreading into the attic. The fire was deemed not suspicious.

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