Abba Cohen.

By Cecilia Levine From Daily Voice

A New York man accused of scamming elderly North Jersey residents out of nearly half a million dollars has been caught, authorities said.

At 12:07 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 11, the NYPD apprehended Abba Cohen, 40, of Flushing, NY, who was wanted out of Glen Rock having previously been arrested and released out of Woodland Park, local officials said Monday, Aug. 18.

In Glen Rock, Cohen was sought on charges of conspiracy to commit theft by deception and receiving stolen property stemming from a January 2024 home improvement scam that cost an elderly resident $25,800, Police Chief Dean Ackermann said.

Cohen also faces charges in Passaic County, where prosecutors in October 2024 accused him of stealing $432,000 from an elderly Woodland Park resident in a nearly identical scam. 

He was charged there with conspiracy to commit theft by deception, receiving stolen property, and money laundering, and released on pre-trial monitoring following a court hearing.

Cohen remains in custody in New York City while awaiting extradition, Ackermann said.