Warrant

On Friday, February 11, 2022, at 1750 hours, Officer Hyle responded to police headquarters to accept bail for a subject who was turning himself in. Officer Hyle met with John Rivera, 26, Cottontail La, Lanoka Harbor, who was posting bail for a $500 warrant out of Toms River Twp.  J. Rivera posted his bail and was released.

Structure Fire

On Tuesday, February 15, 2022 at 0600 hours, Officer Ricciardella responded to the 300 block of Independence Drive for a report of a structure fire. Upon arrival heavy smoke was observed coming from the residence. Officer Ricciardella confirmed everyone had evacuated the home. Lanoka Harbor and Forked River Fire Departments responded and extinguished the fire. The NJ State Fire Marshal, The Ocean County Fire Marshal and Detective Bureau responded to the scene to assume the investigation which is ongoing at this time.

Fraud

On Tuesday, February 15, 2022 a resident on Plover Court reported to Officer Carver that she was the victim of unemployment fraud. The caller reported she received a notice in the mail from the Unemployment Office of New Jersey regarding her recent application for benefits. The caller reported she has been retired for the past twenty years and that she has never filed for unemployment benefits. The notice stated that the date the claim was filed was 01/02/2022. The Unemployment Office was notified of the fraudulent claim. No benefits had been paid out as of now and they have cancelled the claim.

Fraud

On Wednesday, February 16, 2022, Officer Carver responded to headquarters for a report of fraud. The victim reported on February 14, 2022, she was checking her email and opened a message from “Classmates.com.”  The victim reported that a few minutes after opening the email, a phone number appeared on her screen instructing her to call Microsoft. The victim called the number on the screen and the person who answered informed her that her network has been compromised, and that there were illegal purchases made with her account.  She was informed to withdraw $15,000.00 from her bank account and deposit it in various Bitcoin ATMs throughout the local area.  The victim deposited all of the money and expected it to be reimbursed into her personal account.  After sometime had passed, the money was not deposited and she reported it to this agency.