Fake water employees rob, attempt to rob two homes
Men posed as water company workers using fake badges to gain access to homes
BY KATHY CHANG & CHRIS GAETANO Staff Writers
Residents in two towns reported incidents involving people posing as water company employees to gain access to homes, one in Woodbridge and the other in Edison, on April 1.

Woodbridge police are looking for two Hispanic males - one between 60 and 65 years old and one between 20 and 23 years old - who allegedly posed as water company employees and entered a Juliette Street residence in Hopelawn last week.

The criminal attempt of burglary occurred at 9:43 a.m. April 1, police said.

The older male was described as 5 feet 5 inches tall, with a medium build, light skin and dark hair, wearing a dark gray jacket (possibly a winter jacket) and dark pants. The younger male was described as 6 feet tall, with a medium thin build, a mustache and dark hair, wearing dark clothing, police said.

The 90-year-old victim told police that she answered her back door, and the older suspect told her that he was from the water company and was at her home to check the water to see if it was a different color than normal, the police report said.

The victim told police that she did not let the suspects out of her sight and asked the older suspect who the younger suspect was. The younger suspect stayed outside near the side of the house. The older suspect told the victim that the younger suspect was his helper, the police report said.

The victim also asked the suspect for identification, but the suspect said he was a supervisor and didn't need one, police said.

The suspect asked the victim to go upstairs and check the water, but the victim said no. After the suspects went to check the water meter in the basement, the victim became suspicious and called police, the police report said.

The suspects, who must have heard the victim's call to police, fled the area on foot, the police report said.

Meanwhile, three people posing as public utility workers robbed a 79-year-old woman at her Harding Avenue, Edison, home on April 1.

According to Lt. Joseph Shannon, Edison Police Department public information officer, the woman heard her doorbell ring around 10:40 a.m. and saw a thin, white man at the door wearing "some type of ID badge." He said he was from the water company and that he was checking the pressure from the house. She let him inside.

The man asked whether there was anyone else home, to which she answered yes, her husband was there as well. The man said he needed to speak with her husband, and then told him that he needed to go downstairs to the basement. Together, he and the woman's husband walked downstairs.

At this point, a gray sport utility vehicle pulled into the driveway, and two more people came to the door, one described as a heavyset white man and the other described as thin. The two said that they, too, were from the power company and that they needed to come inside.

After this, the original suspect instructed the woman, still upstairs, to turn the water on and then off, and then on again. This process went on for about fiveminutes, according to Shannon, and then one of the suspects asked the woman if her hands had been in the water, and if so, if she'd been wearing gloves. She answered that, no, she had not.

She was then told that she needed to take off her rings so they could be cleaned. She took both rings - a diamond engagement ring and a gold ring with an emerald- off her hand and placed them on a paper towel next to the sink. The suspects then grabbed the paper towel with the rings inside, and all three ran out the door and got into their vehicle and drive off. The estimated value of the rings is about $900.

"This is one of those stories you hear, unfortunately, too often," said Shannon.

Anyone with information is advised to call the Edison Police Department's detective bureau at (732) 248-7540.

At this time it is not known if the two incidents being connected are not known at this time.