STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Authorities in New Jersey allege a man from West Brighton perpetrated a scam where he used social media and phony documents to sell stolen cars to unwitting victims in Bayonne.
Devonte Thomas, 23, of Alaska Street, stands accused of multiple scams, while Justin Wright, 24, of Taylor Street in West Brighton, was an alleged accomplice in one con where they were caught red-handed on March 15, police said.
The criminal complaint alleges that Thomas and Wright were attempting to finalize the sale of a 2019 Honda CRV that was stolen in Newark on March 4. The person who arranged to meet the defendants was a previous victim of the scam perpetrated on Facebook Marketplace, authorities said.
After receiving a tip from the victim, detectives from the Bayonne Police Department spotted the stolen Honda, valued at about $18,000, unoccupied and parked in the vicinity of Stephen Gregg Park at West 37th Street.
Officers allege they saw Thomas and Wright approach the stolen Honda and open the driver’s side door. Officers then stepped out of their unmarked vehicle in an attempt to apprehend the defendants, who allegedly fled on foot.
A brief pursuit and struggle ensued before Thomas and Wright were arrested, police said.
A stolen passport was confiscated from Thomas when he was searched by police, according to authorities.
AUTHORITIES DETAIL ADDITIONAL ALLEGED SCAMS
Thomas subsequently was charged with three additional scams.
A victim reported to Bayonne Police that on the night of Jan. 18, he agreed to buy a motor vehicle listed on Facebook Marketplace. He met with Thomas at the parking lot at the Walmart at 500 Bayonne Crossing Way and paid about $11,500 for the vehicle, police said. Thomas presented a U.S. passport and vehicle title, both bearing someone else’s name, the complaint alleges.
When the victim tried to register the vehicle, he was told by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission that the title was bogus and that the vehicle had been reported stolen,…
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