Hot Tub Wallet Thief Goes On Stolen Credit Card Spending Spree, Police Say

A Newark resident went on a spending spree after stealing a Hopatcong man's wallet when he left his pants behind to take a dip in a hot tub at a Brooklyn Mountain Road house party last month, police said.

Ricky James, 30, was lodged at the Union County Jail by the Secaucus Police after he was found with a stolen credit card traced to a Hopatcong resident who reported his wallet missing in December, police said.

The victim reported on Dec. 5 his wallet had been stolen the night before while at a house party with about 15 others on Brooklyn Mountain Road, police said. The victim left his pants in a bathroom while he went into a hot tub, police said.

Three credit card charges had been made, including one at a local store where video surveillance showed James buying items with the stolen card, police said.

James also used a stolen card to pay $242 in New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission fines and surcharges to get his license restored, police said.

The victim's mother received a phone call from an unknown male, who got the woman to divulge the last four digits of the victim's Social Security number and his middle name, police said. James allegedly used that information to change the passwords and personal information on his credit card accounts, resulting in more fraudulent charges, police said.

James was charged with third-degree theft, fourth-degree theft of credit cards and third-degree use of stolen credit cards.

Bail was set at $20,000 with no 10 percent option.