Nurse Aide Charged with Stealing from Senior in South Brunswick
South Brunswick Police have charged a home nurse aide from Somerset with theft and credit card fraud. The victim was an elderly woman with dementia and other medical issues in South Brunswick.
Relatives of the woman contacted police to report suspicious activity on her credit card. The relatives also noted that a Galaxy tablet was missing from the victim’s home. The family indicated that they believed the home health aide possibly was responsible for the thefts.
Police began an investigation and reviewed the victim’s financial records. The records showed that between August 8 and August 25, the victim’s credit card had been used for cash withdrawals twelve times. The money had been taken from various locations in Irvington and Union Township. In the six months prior to the aide being hired, there were no cash withdrawals from the bank using the credit card. The investigations found over $1,000 had been stolen from the victim during the month of August.
The aide, Caitlyn Burton, was hired through Always Best Care of Princeton Junction and worked in the elderly woman’s home three hours a day. On Monday evening Burton, 21, surrendered at police headquarters. She was charged with theft, theft of a credit card, and fraudulent use of a credit card. Police recovered the Galaxy tablet. Burton was processed and issued a complaint pending her first court appearance.
“This case came together because an alert relative from out of state noticed irregularities and contacted us. Investigators pieced the documents together and charged the aide,” South Brunswick Chief Raymond Hayducka said “Our senior citizens are valued members of our community and we will do all we can to ensure their safety.”
Krystal Knapp is the founding editor of Planet Princeton. Follow her on Twitter @krystalknapp. She can be reached via email at editor AT planetprinceton.com. Send all letters to the editor and press releases to that email address.