58 Arrested In Mercer County ATM Scam: Prosecutor

PRINCETON, NJ – Fifty-eight people were arrested across Mercer County in connection with a multi-state scam involving Santander Bank, according to prosecutors.

Scammers exploited a technical glitch and used prepaid debit cards to withdraw money from ATMs. According to the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office, reports of fraudulent withdrawals were made across New York and New Jersey since Tuesday morning.

Mercer County prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri said in a news release on Wednesday that the suspects were charged with conspiracy to commit theft by deception.

The arrests happened on Tuesday when Robbinsville Township police responded to calls of fraudulent activity in Santander Bank on Route 33. Scammers were using stacks of cards to withdraw money while attempting to avoid cameras, according to an MCPO release. They arrested 20 people and contacted the prosecutor’s office for assistance.

Authorities from Hamilton, Hopewell, Lawrence, Princeton and West Windsor collaborated in the investigation, with help from Santander Bank, the MCPO said.

West Windsor dispatch relayed information on the Robbinsville arrests and Princeton reported a large sum of money fraudulently obtained from a Santander ATM in its jurisdiction.

Police in Lawrence were alerted by Princeton Police about the scam, and they intercepted a vehicle near Santander Bank on Franklin Corner Road, matching police description, the MCPO said. The bank reported an abnormally high usage of the ATMs and a shortage of around $40,000.

In Hamilton, police apprehended two suspicious vehicles parked at the bank located on South Broad Street. Additional vehicles and suspects were located at the ATMs on 1700 Nottingham Way, 1700 Kuser Rd. and 2730 Nottingham Way, and MCPO said.

Hopewell Township had three incidents involving separate crews on Pennington Road. After several foot chases, suspects were taken in custody.

Onofri praised local law enforcement for their teamwork.

“West Windsor officers and detectives from my office were able to detain and investigate five separate crews of suspects at different times throughout the day at the Santander Bank on Princeton-Hightstown Road, resulting in many arrests,” he said in a press statement.

Authorities recovered debit cards, credit cards, marijuana and handguns from the suspects. Robbinsville K-9 Quori also sniffed out cocaine totaling 150 grams in the trunk of one of the suspect vehicles.

During their investigation, officers also learned that the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office had reported multiple thefts in its jurisdiction. Arrests were also reported across towns in Monmouth County.

NJ Advance Media had earlier reported that a multi-jurisdictional investigation is underway in several counties across New York and New Jersey.

Twenty were arrested in Hamilton, seven in Hopewell, four in Lawrence, 20 in Robbinsville and seven in West Windsor.

All suspects arrested are from New York and New Jersey and were connected through social media.

Here's the list of arrested individuals, and where they were arrested:

Hamilton Township

• Tyler Holness, 21, of Yonkers, NY
• Rasheem Lee Jr., 18, of Bronx, NY
• Kymani Hinds, 18, of Bronx, NY
• Michael Santiago, 26, of Bronx, NY
• Saquan Vaines, 21, of Arverne, NY
• Kareema Hall, 20, of Bronx, NY
• Justin Brown, 22, of Arverne, NY
• Michael Manroop, 24, of Cambridge Heights, NY
• Nayvon Patten, 18, of Linderhurst, NY
• Jerry Trujillo, 24, of Maplewood
• Zaire Lewis, 18, of Maplewood
• Frankie Jerome, 21, of Maplewood
• Ahmad Muhammad, 18, of Maplewood
• Jordan Saquan, 24, of Brooklyn, NY
• Arian Rasul, 22, of Brooklyn, NY
• Starsheen Jones, 24, of Brooklyn, NY
• Jordan Amador, 27, of Brooklyn, NY
• Steven Wilson, 23, of New York, NY
• Nikye Bee, 25, of New York, NY
• Kevin Jones, 23, of New York, NY

Hopewell Township

• Ebrama Touray, 23, of East Orange
• Mbemba Kaba, 23, of East Orange
• Yacouba Sanogo, 24, of Newark
• Sekou Touray, 22, of East Orange
• Kingsley Nicolas, 22, of East Orange
• Orlando C. Chambers Jr., 21, of Lindenhurst, NY
• Emmanuel Edoise Oyakhilome, 22, of Lindenhurst, NY

Lawrence Township

• Elijah N. Oliver, 22, of Brooklyn, NY
• Dandrea Taylor Dey, 22, of Brooklyn, NY
• Quentin A. Hosten, 22, of Brooklyn, NY
• Zachary B. Johnson, 21, of Brooklyn, NY

Robbinsville Township

• Amoire Dupree, 26, of Brooklyn, NY
• Brittany Gittens, 20, of Brooklyn, NY
• Hurshum Gittens, 26, of Brooklyn, NY
• Charles Gordon, 30, of Brooklyn, NY
• Veronica Gregory, 22, of Brooklyn, NY
• Oswin Philander, 21, of Brooklyn, NY
• Jeffrey Debrosse, 31, of Brooklyn, NY
• Bolade Akingboy, 29, of West Hempstead, NY
• Jeffrey Desir, 34, of Brooklyn, NY
• Julio Ramos, 33, of Jamaica, NY
• Kevin Philander, 26, of Newark, DE
• Jishawn Lee, 19, of Brooklyn, NY
• Marlon Owens, 28, of Bronx, NY
• Alex Burnett, 30, of Jersey City
• D.T., 16, of Brooklyn, NY
• J.F., 16, of Brooklyn, NY
• Ackeem Samuel, 25, of Brooklyn, NY
• Brandon Esperance, 20, of Brooklyn, NY
• Kevin Owusu, 19, of Brooklyn, NY
• Kareem Courtney, 23, of Brooklyn, NY

West Windsor

• Philek Barington, 25, of Queens, NY
• LaTonya S. Stevens, 26, of Bronx, NY
• Qwashan D. Mack, 19, of North Brunswick
• Hymeen S. Reynolds, 19, of East Orange
• Brajae U. Jones, 23, of Englewood
• Bryon K Jones Jr., 28, of Garfield
• Carla E. Donayre-Solano, 28, of Garfield