PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — An Atlantic County employee is charged after allegedly using county pumps to fuel trucks for his private business, according to prosecutors.
Joseph Ridley, 47, of Mays Landing, was arrested Monday and charged with official misconduct, theft, and conspiracy.
As a supervisor in the Division of Roads and Bridges at the Atlantic County Department of Public Works, Ridley had access codes to county-operated diesel pumps, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office. Authorities allege he provided those codes to drivers for his private company, Z5 Logistics, allowing them to fuel up without authorization.
The investigation began late last month after a county employee saw a box truck fueling up at a county pump in Northfield, which requires a code to operate. When the employee approached the vehicle, the driver drove off, but investigators for the Atlantic County prosecutors' office followed.
The investigation alleges this wasn’t the first time.
Investigators said Ridley provided an access code to multiple drivers at his company, Z5 Logistics, including Zakar Ridley, 26, Jason Meredith, 34, and Corey Smith, 27. All three were arrested while filling up without authorization and were charged with theft by unlawful taking.
The total amount of fuel allegedly stolen remains under investigation