Atlantic County Public Works Supervisor Pleads Guilty to Theft

What if you could fuel up your vehicles for free?

Great thought, right?

But, you probably can't because you'd get caught if you tried it.

That's what happened to a Mays Landing man who used his job to try to access free gas.

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Atlantic County Proscutor's Office

Guilty Plea for Atlantic County Supervisor

An Atlantic County Public Works employee - a supervisor - has pleaded guilty to fueling up his business' vehicles from county-owned gas pumps without paying.

Atlantic County Prosecutors say Joseph Ridley-Jenkins, 48, of Mays Landing has entered a guilty plea to a amended third-degree charge of theft.

When he's sentenced, the recommendation is that he could get four years in state prison. He's required to pay $20,000 in restitution, and he'll be banned from working in public employment.

When he pleaded guilty, Ridley-Jenkins admitted that between 2023 and 2025, he used his position as Public Works Supervisor to access the fuel pumps, without paying for the fuel.

Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash

How He Got Caught

It was members of the Atlantic County Public Works Department who first alerted law enforcement about irregularities in their fuel logs.

An investigation found that Ridley-Jenkins used his position to fuel up trucks for his own private business. He directed his employees to fuel up the trucks almost daily.

SOURCE: Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office