MORRIS COUNTY, N.J. — Three men, including a Hackettstown resident, have been arrested following an investigation into alleged mail theft and check fraud involving residential mailboxes in Mount Olive Township, Randolph Township and Roxbury Township, authorities announced.
Erik C. Mitchell, 34, of Hackettstown; Aljaquan T. Wilson, 31, of Newark; and Blancsun Altidor, 32, of Newark, were arrested Aug. 18 after investigators linked them to checks allegedly stolen from residential mailboxes and fraudulently cashed at banks, according to Morris County Prosecutor Robert Carroll.
The investigation began in August when Mount Olive police received reports of checks being stolen from residential mailboxes and fraudulently cashed.
As detectives investigated, they identified a suspect vehicle and an individual believed to be involved in the thefts.
On Aug. 18, Mount Olive detectives learned that the suspect vehicle was in the township and that Mitchell was allegedly attempting to cash a fraudulent check at a bank in the Flanders section.
Responding officers located Wilson and Altidor inside the suspect vehicle, and all three men were arrested, authorities said.
Police also allegedly found Altidor in possession of a false driver’s license and Wilson in possession of a credit card that did not belong to him.
Following the arrests, police impounded the vehicle. Detectives, with assistance from the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, obtained and executed a search warrant on the vehicle.
Further investigation revealed that the defendants allegedly cashed stolen checks at banking institutions on Aug. 10, 11 and 17. Authorities said the checks had been reported stolen from residential mailboxes in Mount Olive, Randolph and Roxbury.
Mitchell was charged with eight counts of third-degree forgery, one count of third-degree theft by unlawful taking of movable property, two counts of third-degree receiving stolen property, one count of fourth-degree theft by unlawful taking of movable property, two counts of third-degree conspiracy to commit theft and one disorderly persons offense of receiving stolen property.
Wilson was charged with three counts of third-degree theft by unlawful taking of movable property, two counts of third-degree forgery, two counts of third-degree receiving stolen property, two counts of fourth-degree credit card theft, two counts of third-degree conspiracy to commit theft and one disorderly persons offense of receiving stolen property.
Altidor was charged with five counts of third-degree forgery, two counts of third-degree receiving stolen property, two counts of third-degree theft of movable property, one count of third-degree conspiracy to commit theft, one count of fourth-degree theft of movable property, one count of fourth-degree possession of a false driver’s license and one disorderly persons offense of receiving stolen property.
All three men are being held at the Morris County Correctional Facility pending future court proceedings under New Jersey’s Criminal Justice Reform Act.
The investigation involved the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office and police departments in Mount Olive, Randolph and Roxbury.
Anyone with information about the alleged thefts is asked to contact the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office at 973-285-6200, the Mount Olive Police Department Detective Bureau at 973-691-0850, the Randolph Police Department Detective Bureau at 973-989-7015 or the Roxbury Police Department Detective Bureau at 973-448-2100.
The investigation remains ongoing.
