A 39-year-old former mayor of a small New Jersey town has been arrested for allegedly stealing money from a scholarship fund named for a young paramedic killed in the line of duty and using the cash to gamble in Atlantic City.
Prosecutors in Middlesex County say Nicholas Poliseno, former mayor of Spotswood, turned himself in to authorities Tuesday to face one count of theft. He was released pending a court appearance next month.
The investigation found Poliseno allegedly withdrew the money for gambling from the Hinal Patel Scholarship Fund in June 2016. The scholarship fund was set up to honor the memory of 22-year-old Hinal Patel, a Spotswood EMT who died in July 2015 when the ambulance she was riding in was hit by a car. It is awarded annually to a deserving student at Spotswood High School.
Prosecutors didn't say how much money Poliseno allegedly took. They say their investigation is ongoing. Attorney information for Poliseno, who took office in 2013, wasn't immediately available. He last tweeted in 2016, and, according to his LinkedIn page, was a first responder to the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.
