Two Romanian nationals have been arrested after a months-long investigation into an alleged debit card skimming operation that targeted ATM machines throughout the North Jersey area, the Saddle River Police Department has announced. Eugene Padure and Iulian Brinzan were taken into custody in Saddle River after investigators tracked the suspects to the Bergen County borough, Police Chief Edward J. Riedel said.
Source: WPST (Townsquare Media), reporting Saddle River police announcement
According to the police department's release, the operation allegedly worked by installing electronic skimming devices on ATM machines and later removing them. The devices were designed to capture customers' debit card information, and investigators believe the stolen account information was then used to create fraudulent payment cards in victims' names.
How the investigation broke open
The investigation progressed after a skimming device was discovered on a local ATM, police said. Officers from the Saddle River Police Department, the Madison Police Department and the Morris County Prosecutor's Office worked together to identify and locate the individuals believed to be involved in the operation, and investigators were ultimately able to track the suspects to Saddle River, where Padure and Brinzan were arrested last week.
Following the arrests, officers executed search warrants connected to the investigation. Those searches recovered additional evidence associated with the alleged skimming operation, including card-making equipment and additional skimming devices, the department said — the kind of equipment allegedly used to turn stolen card data into usable fraudulent cards.
The charges, in full
Padure is charged with criminal use of a scanning device, under N.J.S.A. 2C:21-6.1(b); possession of a scanning device or reencoder with intent to commit an offense, under N.J.S.A. 2C:21-6.1(c); and conspiracy to commit theft, under N.J.S.A. 2C:5-2. Brinzan is charged with criminal use of a scanning device, under N.J.S.A. 2C:21-6.1(b)(1), and theft, under N.J.S.A. 2C:20-3(b).
Source: Saddle River Police Department release, Chief Edward J. Riedel
The two men are in different positions tonight. Padure is being held at Bergen County Jail, while Brinzan was released pending a court appearance, according to police reporting by WPST. The department has not announced how many victims the operation may have had, or how much money, if any, was taken from customers' accounts — those figures have not been released, and the investigation remains ongoing.
The investigation was led by Saddle River Police Detective Sergeant Michael Cooper, assisted by Detective Brian Mills. Captain Paul Passaretti and Sergeants Jeff Wells, Ryan Holdsworth and John Latka assisted in the arrests. Chief Riedel also thanked the agencies that assisted throughout the investigation: the United States Secret Service, the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office, the Madison Police Department, the Morris County Prosecutor's Office, the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office in Florida, and the New York City Police Department. The department said the cooperation and information-sharing between the agencies played an important role in furthering the investigation.
Chief Riedel reminded the public that the charges in the release are merely accusations, and that all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Why this matters beyond Saddle River
Saddle River is a small, affluent borough in Bergen County, but police say the machines targeted were spread across the wider North Jersey area — the same ATMs used every day by commuters, shopkeepers, truck drivers and families across Bergen, Morris and neighbouring counties, including the region's large Punjabi and South Asian communities in places such as Edison, Iselin and Jersey City. Skimming is a quiet crime: a device can sit on a card reader capturing data while a hidden camera records PINs, and a victim may not know anything is wrong until money disappears or a bank calls. WPST's reporting notes that skimmers have become increasingly common throughout New Jersey and have been found on ATMs, fuel pumps and point-of-sale terminals in the state and elsewhere — which is why a months-long, multi-agency investigation, rather than a single traffic stop, was needed to reach these arrests.
How police say you can protect yourself
The Saddle River Police Department issued a specific set of precautions with the arrest announcement. Cover the keypad with your hand whenever you enter your PIN, because hidden cameras may be used alongside skimming devices. Inspect the card reader before inserting your card, and do not use the machine if anything looks loose, unusually bulky, damaged or out of place. Inspect the keypad itself for overlays or attachments that look different from the rest of the machine.
Police also advise using ATMs located inside, or directly associated with, a bank whenever possible, particularly in well-lit and monitored areas, and considering contactless tap-to-use ATM features instead of inserting a card. Turn on transaction alerts from your bank so you are notified immediately of withdrawals or purchases, review your accounts regularly, and report any unauthorized transaction to your bank and local police right away.
What happens next
Brinzan is due back in court at a date the department has not announced publicly, while Padure remains in custody at Bergen County Jail. Because the investigation is explicitly described as ongoing, further charges, further suspects or a victim count could still be announced — Saddle River police have not said whether the two men are believed to have acted alone. Anyone in North Jersey who has noticed unexplained withdrawals after using an ATM in recent months is the kind of witness investigators and banks typically want to hear from, and police guidance in the release is to report unauthorized transactions to your financial institution and your local police department immediately.