Fleeing From Accident Scene. An 18-year-old Plainsboro man faces numerous charges after he crashed a friend’s car on Princeton-Hightstown Road and fled the scene with two of his passengers.
According to West Windsor Lieutenant Brian Melnick, the accident occurred around 7:25 p.m. on February 23. Anubhav Sodhi, 18, of Plainsboro, borrowed a Ford Explorer from a friend and was traveling east on Princeton-Hightstown Road in the area of Glengarry Way when he lost control of the SUV and rolled over, Melnick said. He and another passenger, a 17-year-old juvenile, also from Plainsboro, got out of the car before police arrived and fled, Melnick added.
Melnick said witnesses of the accident said Sodhi ran off the road and hit a snow bank, causing the car to flip. Police detectives searched the area and found the juvenile passenger walking on Southfield Road, trying to get back to Plainsboro. Five hours later, Sodhi turned himself in to Plainsboro police.
Sodhi was charged with being an unlicensed driver, careless driving, failure to report an accident, and leaving the scene of an accident. At the time police interviewed Sodhi, another passenger, Cornelius Rozario, 18, also of Plainsboro, also admitted he was in the car at the time of the accident.
The owner of the car, Amy Mazaregos, 18, of Plainsboro, was charged with allowing an unlicensed driver to operate a motor vehicle.
The vehicle had major damage to the roof and passenger side and had to be towed.
False Report. Salman Bhatti, 18, of Lawrenceville, was charged February 21 with making a false report to law enforcement. Officer Frank Sabatino said police were called to the PetSmart parking lot on a report of an armed robbery, with response from all available units and backup from Lawrence police.
Bhatti, an employee at the store, said he had been collecting shopping carts. He allegedly told police that a male suspect, armed with a handgun, approached him near a snow bank and demanded that he hand over his silver necklace. But during the investigation, Sabatino said he picked up on inconsistencies and found that Bhatti could not provide specific details of what had happened. Eventually, Bhatti admitted that he made up the story because he lost track of time outside the store and knew his bosses were looking for him, Sabatino said.
Theft by Deception. An elderly woman living on Blanket Flower Lane was duped out of $2,400 by a person claiming to be her grandson and needing to be bailed out of a jail in Canada. According to Officer Michael Bollentin, the victim received a phone call from a person who was crying and claiming to be her grandson in need of bail money to be sent to Quebec, Canada. The victim was instructed to call another person regarding the bail money. The second person gave her instructions about sending the bail money, and she did. West Windsor Police are saying that the Canadian Mounted Police said the scam has become common on elderly victims.
Criminal Mischief. Someone broke into the Fast and Furious video game in the UA movie theater in MarketFair some time between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on February 22. Officer David Jelinski said two white men in their late 20s, wearing bulky winter coats, were observed in the area during the time period, and witnesses said it was possible that they could have concealed a pry bar inside their jackets. The quarters inside the video game were stolen, and damage showed that a metal security bar was popped open with a tool, Jelinski said.
Identity Theft. A Clarksville Road resident was the victim of identity theft sometime in January. Lieutenant Brian Melnick said the resident received a PayPal account statement in the mail and discovered that someone used her personal information to make eBay purchases during January. The fraudulent charges totaled over $1,100.
Auto Theft. A Loetscher Place resident was the victim of motor vehicle theft sometime between February 19 and 20. Officer Frank Sabatino said someone stole her 2007 black Toyota Prius.
Drug Arrests. Maurice J. Webb, 33, of Trenton, was charged February 26 with possession of marijuana under 50 grams. Officer Christopher Van Ness said he stopped him on Route 1 South at Quakerbridge Road for maintenance of lamps and found marijuana in the passenger compartment of the car.
DWI. Maria M. Garcia-Cepeda, 27, of Perth Amboy, was charged February 21 with driving while intoxicated. Officer William Jones said he stopped her on Route 1 North near Meadow Road and found she was intoxicated.
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