Man claiming to be contractor arrested after taking deposit for work not done in Sussex County
VERNON TOWNSHIP, NJ (Sussex County) – A Passaic County man claiming to be a contractor has been arrested Wednesday for allegedly taking a $500 deposit from a Vernon Township resident and never came back to do the work, according to police.
Michael Regan of Haledon Borough was arrested and charged on Dec. 14 with third-degree theft by deception.
The investigation began when a township resident reported that they had hired Regan to complete work at their house, and he never came back to do the job. Regan was claiming to be a contractor, and collected a $500 deposit from the victim, police said.
According to police, Regan has a history of providing estimates to customers, collecting a deposit, and then not returning to do any of the agreed upon work.
“He operates under many business names, which can be found by doing a Google search of his name,” police said.
Regan had outstanding warrants from Sussex County Superior Court and Fair Lawn Municipal court for similar offenses, police said.
In an attempt to locate Regan, detectives contacted him under the guise that they were a customer looking for work. A meeting was set up, where Regan believed he would be providing an estimate for a chimney repair, police siad.
Vernon Township Patrol Division and Detectives, along with members of Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office were on standby at the location awaiting the arrival of Regan.
When Regan eventually arrived, he was arrested and charged. He was then lodged in Morris County Jail pending a court appearance, police said.
