Babysitter Allegedly Admits Stealing and Cashing Checks

Township police report that a 20-year-old Warren woman working as a babysitter in a township home has been accused of allegedy taking her employer's checkbooks, forging a signature and cashing more than $10,000 worth of checks in banks around central New Jersey.

According to police, Sabrina Schwartz of Warren has been charged with third degree forgery and third degree theft by deception.

Police said that shortly before 9 a.m. last Friday, a resident of Hickory Drive reported a series of alleged thefts that supposedly took place during March and April. The resident said two checkbooks were found to be missing from the home, and recent bank statements indicated inaccuracies in the checking account. Moreover, several checks appeared to have been forged with the resident's name, according to the police reported.

The resident reported approximately 37 checks were missing and in excess of $10,000 was missing from the checking account, according to police.

The resident provided police with the name of the family babysitter, Sabrina Schwartz, on the basis that Schwartz would have had access to the checkbooks and routinely spent time in the house unsupervised, police said.

Police said township Detective Mike Sweeny interviewed Schwartz later that day. At that time, Schwartz allegedly admitted stealing the checkbooks in March, forging the resident's signature on the checks and cashing the checks in various banks around central New Jersey, police said in the report. Schwartz was processed at headquarters and released on her own recognizance, police said.