Where's the money? New Jersey township scammed out of $26 million – NBC New York

Where’s the money? New Jersey township scammed out of $26 million  NBC New York

Cranbury says the stolen funds were intended to buy property for housing obligations A New Jersey township says it lost approximately $26 million in a wire transfer theft involving funds intended to buy property for its affordable housing obligations. Investigators have frozen nearly $17.3 million in assets, but the remaining money is still unaccounted for. Cranbury Township, in Middlesex County, disclosed the theft in a statement posted Friday, Nov. 6. The incident occurred Sept. 28, 2026, according to the announcement from Mayor Lisa Knierim on behalf of the Township Committee. "We recognize that news of this magnitude will understandably raise questions and concerns among our residents. Those concerns are legitimate, and we take them seriously," wrote on the township's website.

A task force involving local, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies is investigating the theft and working to recover the funds. The Cranbury Township Police Department and the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office are leading the effort. The criminal investigation remains active, and the township said it could not share additional details. The announcement described the frozen assets as an important development; it did not say the money had been returned to the township. Police Chief Giuseppe DeChiara has kept the Township Committee informed of developments, and township employees have cooperated fully with law enforcement, according to the statement. The