Woman raises $15K for friend hurt in crash — then keeps it for herself, NJ officials say
.jpg "A woman raised $15,000 for her family friend hurt in a car crash in Florida, then stole the money, NJ prosecutor says.")
A woman raised more than $15,000 for a family friend who underwent over a dozen surgeries after a severe car crash on I-95 in Florida, New Jersey officials say.
Now she’s accused of stealing the money meant for his medical expenses, according to the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.
Following the car crash in November 2022, the man from Florida spent more than a month in the hospital and needed a prosthetic due to the loss of his arm, according to the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.
His recovery “proved lengthy and costly,” officials said.
It wasn’t specified where the crash occurred along the interstate. McClatchy News contacted the prosecutor’s office for more information on Dec. 19 and was awaiting a response.
The 46-year-old New Jersey woman, of Tinton Falls, reached out to the man’s mother, her “longtime family friend,” and offered to raise money online for her son’s medical bills, officials said.
However, she kept the more than $15,000 raised for herself, according to officials.
The woman was arrested on a charge of third-degree theft last week, the prosecutor’s office announced in a Dec. 18 news release.
Information regarding her legal representation wasn’t immediately available on Dec. 19.
After the woman transferred the donated funds to her own bank account, she’s accused of lying to the victims for months about what happened to the money, the prosecutor’s office said.
The stolen money was reported after many months, according to officials.
The woman had used GoFundMe to raise money for the man online, NJ.com reported.
GoFundMe has since compensated the man after being informed about the theft, a GoFundMe spokesperson told McClatchy News in a statement on Dec. 19.
The company removed the woman from GoFundMe “and banned the account from using the platform for any future fundraisers,” the spokesperson said.
“After learning of this incident, GoFundMe delivered funds directly to the intended beneficiary. In the very rare case that funds are misused, our donors and beneficiaries are fully protected by GoFundMe’s Giving Guarantee,” the spoksperson added.
Tinton Falls is about 45 miles northeast of Trenton.
This story was originally published December 19, 2023 at 1:05 PM with the headline "Woman raises $15K for friend hurt in crash — then keeps it for herself, NJ officials say."
.jpg)