A Monmouth County, New Jersey grand jury has indicted a gas station attendant on 52 counts for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars from customers using a fraudulent device attached to his cell phone. The attendant, Patrick A. Brown, 48, of Newark, faces charges including 13 counts each of credit card fraud, false uttering, theft, and credit card theft.
Authorities allege that Brown used the device attached to his phone to swipe customer credit and debit cards at the pump, resulting in hundreds of dollars being funneled into his personal account during each transaction. The thefts occurred over a limited period of time in August 2023 at a Wawa gas station on Route 9.
Brown was initially charged the same week the thefts were reported, and additional charges were added as more alleged offenses were discovered. He is scheduled to appear in court on May 6. An attorney listed for Brown did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
