Prosecutor: Ex-Gas Station Attendant Indicted on 52 Counts of Credit Card Theft from Customers

A former area gas station attendant has been indicted on 52 counts of credit card fraud charges stemming from the theft of thousands of dollars from 13 customers during his work shifts at a Freehold Wawa station, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago announced on Wednesday.

Patrick A. Brown, 48, of Newark, has been indicted, specifically, on 13 counts each of: third-degree credit card fraud, third-degree false uttering, third-degree theft, and fourth-degree credit card theft.

An investigation led by Sgt. Sean Foley of the Freehold Township Police Department revealed that the thefts took place during a limited amount of time in August of 2023, with each following a similar pattern. Brown would accept a credit or debit card from a customer at the Wawa on Route 9 north, then swipe it through an attached device on his personal phone, funneling hundreds of dollars at a time into a bank account he controlled, before using the card to pay for the legitimate orders of gasoline.

Brown was charged the same week as the report of the initial theft, then charged with more offenses as additional victims became known. His next appearance in Monmouth County Superior Court is scheduled for Monday, May 6.

Anyone with information about Brown’s activities, or anyone who believes they may have been victimized, is urged to contact Sgt. Foley at 732-252-1950 or [email protected].

— Edited press release from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office