http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey...7048395190.xml
Teen in custody, $122,000 BMW missing
Jersey City youth accused of swindling Ohio dealer out of luxury car
Thursday, February 12, 2004
BY MICHAELANGELO CONTE
JERSEY JOURNAL
A Jersey City high school student is in custody after allegedly conning an Ohio car dealership into shipping him a $122,000 BMW and delivering it to him at Dickinson High School, officials said yesterday.
"I don't think we have ever had one like this. It's unique," Hudson County Assistant Prosecutor Gregory Tomczak said.
The boy, who was not identified, was 16 when he allegedly phoned Midwestern Auto Group in Dublin, Ohio, in early January to order the flashy, 12-cylinder BMW 760il, according to police reports.
He told the salesperson he would wire the money for the car, and would have his bank call the dealership to confirm the transaction once it went through, authorities said.
The dealership mailed the paperwork to the boy's home in Jersey City and he filled it out and sent it back, according to police reports. A few days later, the boy allegedly called the dealership pretending to be a bank official and "confirmed" the nonexistent transfer of $122,000, reports said.
The boy turned 17 on Jan. 13, and like a late birthday present, the shiny new sports car was delivered to his school two weeks later, reports said.
Apparently satisfied, the boy ordered a second BMW from the dealership that same day, reports said.
Also on Jan. 27, the Ohio dealership got a report from its own bank, informing it that the car payment never came through, officials said.
The dealership called the Dublin Police Department and reported the car stolen.
The boy drove the car for a couple of days, but, believing a second free car was on its way, decided to sell it. On Jan. 29, he went to the Best Price Motor Co. on Kennedy Boulevard in Jersey City, allegedly offering to sell the $122,000 car for about $75,000.
A representative of the dealership said he was interested, but could not make a deal with a minor.
The boy let him make copies of the car's Ohio title and his own Dickinson student ID card, saying he would return with his uncle, reports said.
After he left, the salesperson called the Ohio dealership and was informed the car was stolen, reports said.
The Jersey City Police Department's Auto Theft Unit got involved and after speaking to Dublin police, set up surveillance at the boy's home to try to spot the BMW, reports said.
After two days of seeing no sign of the vehicle, police said they knocked on the door of the boy's home and spoke to his mother and explained the situation. The mother cooperated with police, calling her son and asking him to come home; police arrested him when he arrived, reports said.
With the boy in custody, police learned they were no closer to recovering the BMW. The boy said he sold the car for $40,000 to a used car dealer in North Carolina, who drove up to Jersey City and drove back south in the car, reports said.
The Jersey City Police Department's Juvenile Bureau charged the boy with theft by deception. He remains in the county youth house in Secaucus.
Neither the $40,000 nor the BMW have been recovered.
Representatives of Midwestern Auto Group and Best Price Motor Co. each confirmed the alleged scam, but refused to comment on it.
If a dealership is willing to ship a car to someone without verifying that they were paid, they deserve to lose it.