A New Jersey man was arrested on suspicion of robbing a Facebook Marketplace buyer who responded to an ad for a video game console, then running one of the victims over with his car, authorities said.
Yasin G. Rahi, 18, of Bayonne, is charged with a series of crimes for allegedly causing “serious bodily injury” to an unidentified 22-year-old in a hit-and-run on March 20, Bergen County said. Ta. Prosecutor Mark Musella.
According to the statement, the young scammer met the victim at a pre-arranged meeting point in the small town of Moonakee around 5pm that day.
But instead of handing over the PlayStation 5 he had advertised on Facebook, Rahi allegedly took approximately $275 from the victim and fled, hitting the hapless buyer in the process.
Musella said prosecutors investigated a number of similar incidents in northern New Jersey, where fake sellers using fictitious Facebook accounts lured PlayStation buyers to certain areas and stole their cash. It turned out that there was.
County investigators identified Rahi as the theft suspect, according to the statement.
They also linked him to a similar hit-and-run incident in Guttenberg, New Jersey, on March 26. According to the Hudson County opinion.
Local and county authorities finally put Rahi in a chokehold in Bayonne on April 4, prosecutors said.
Rahi is charged with first-degree robbery, second-degree aggravated assault, third-degree leaving the scene of an accident with serious bodily injury and fourth-degree theft, Musella said.
He was transported to the Bergen County Jail, where he is awaiting a detention hearing.
Musella, Bergen County’s top law enforcement official, said in a statement that the alleged robbery is a reminder of the need to be extremely careful when buying and selling goods online.
“While various online platforms offer a convenient way to buy and sell real estate, they also provide opportunities for exploitation by dishonest individuals,” he said, adding that people can meet at a secure exchange location such as a local police station. He added that he should.
“Always meet in a public, well-lit area, and never meet strangers alone,” Musella says.
“Trust your instincts. If something feels wrong or too good to be true, it probably is.”
