RIVERDALE NJ Dec 26 2014– A Target cashier allegedly canceled out thousands of dollars worth of transactions and let shoppers leave the store without paying for items, police said.
Authorities did not say whether Zariah Lozada was granting the deep discounts to people she knew or if she was doing as a nice gesture for for strangers doing their holiday shopping at the Target in Riverdale, but police said the 18-year-old is now facing charges for reportedly voiding out $3,830.96 worth of transactions over the past week.
On Wednesday evening, Riverdale Police Officer Joe McDermott was dispatched to the Target on Route 23 after the store’s security personnel contacted authorities regarding an employee theft, Lt. James Macintosh said.
McDermott met with security officers who reported that one of the store’s cashiers, Lozada, “had been involved in a scheme where she would allow people to pretend to use a credit card, then void out the transaction and let the people leave with the merchandise,” Macintosh said.
Authorities did not say whether she was canceling out entire transactions or just knocking a few items off a total bill.
Subsequently, Lozada, who resides in the Haskell section of Wanaque, was arrested and transported to Riverdale Police Department, where she was charged with theft and conspiracy to commit theft, he said.
She was also charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance after officers discovered she had four Oxycodone pills, Macintosh said.
Lozada was released with a Dec. 24 court date at the Morris County Central Judicial Processing, he said.
When asked whether Lozada was still employed at the Riverdale Target, an on-duty supervisor – who declined to identify herself – told NJ Advance Media she could not comment on matters involving the store’s personnel.