South Brunswick Man Victim of Kidnapping Fraud

A South Brunswick father was subjected to every parent's worst nightmare as part of a fraudulent kidnapping scam on Thursday.

Police said a township man received a phone call on his cell phone from a man who told him that his son had gotten into a car accident. The suspect told the father that his son was injured in the crash and was being held until the father made payment for vehicle damages through Western Union. 

Upon payment of $1,800, the suspect said he would take the man's son to the closest hospital. The caller also said he had the son’s cell phone and if the father tried calling, his son would be killed, police said.

The father spent over an hour on the phone before he was able to wire the money through Western Union. After the money was wired, the father was told to go to a specific New Brunswick hospital. But after he arrived at the facility, the suspect disconnected the call, police said.

The man was unable to locate his son at the hospital, so he then called his son’s cell phone and discovered that there was no accident and the call was a fraud. 

Similar cases have been reported within the last few days in Perth Amboy, while similar incidents occurred in Jersey City and Bergen County in September and October. Each incident involved the suspect calling from an area code in Puerto Rico. 

South Brunswick Police are asking residents to report any suspicious activity to police at 732-329-4646.