Newark police arrest 2 suspects accused of placing card skimming devices at grocery store

Newark police have arrested two male suspects whom they accuse of installing skimming devices at a grocery store to illegally steal credit or debit card information.

A man who identified himself as Marco Ernesto, 23, and a male juvenile from Romania were arrested July 14 on suspicion of installing and trying to retrieve the skimming devices from a grocery store, Newark police said Wednesday in a news release. They did not identify the grocery store where employees first identified what they thought was a skimming device.

Sgt. Chuck Wilhelm, a Newark police spokesman, told The Advocate he could not immediately provide the name of the store involved.

Police reviewed video footage and were alerted when the suspects returned to collect the devices, according to the news release. When officers found the pair and pulled them over, they allege the suspects tried to rid of the devices, which officers later recovered.

Detectives are working with federal law enforcement to confirm the suspects' identities and find the juvenile's family members, the release states.

Police urged credit and debit card users to be vigilant for the skimming devices, which can be used at ATMs or any other location where electronic purchases are made.

Advocate reporter Josué Perez can be reached at jhperez@newarkadvocate.com.

This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Newark police arrest 2 accused of placing card skimmers at store