One Piece at a Time

RIDGEWOOD, NJ – Thomas Rica, the former public works inspector for a northern New Jersey town has admitted stealing $460,000 in quarters. Authorities said the thefts occurred over the course of 25 months. They say Rica, 43, was not authorized to be in the parking meter collection room, but would enter it and fill his pockets with money. They say he deposited the money – more than 1.8 million quarters – in his bank account. The purloined coins would have weighed a total of roughly 11.25 tons.

            Associated Press, March 19^th, 2014

Bergen County Sheriff’s Department Patrol Car 36: Come in, dispatch. This is unit 36, over.

Bergen County Sheriff’s Department Dispatch: This is dispatch, unit 36.

Patrol Car 36: Dispatch, could you please run a license plate for us. It’s a black 2013 Cadillac Escalade, New Jersey license number Z-L-R-Six-Nine-X.

Dispatch: Roger that, unit 36. Running the plate now.

Patrol Car 36: Thanks, dispatch. We’ve been following the Escalade for about two miles now on Route 17.

Dispatch: Unit 36, DMV records show the Escalade registered to a Thomas Rica. What is your situation, over?

Patrol Car 36: Well, dispatch, when we first noticed the Escalade it was going significantly slower than the posted speed limit, seemed to be weighted down.

Dispatch: Roger that, unit 36.

Patrol Car 36: When we got a little closer, dispatch, we noticed that the Escalade seemed to be leaking a steady flow of quarters onto the roadway. Uh, that’s created a little bit of a hazardous situation out here, and is, we think, a little suspicious as well. Over.

Dispatch: Stand by, unit 36. (Unintelligible.) Unit 36, command has requested you do a stop and search. Repeat, do a stop on the Escalade, over.

Patrol Car 36: Roger that, dispatch. Please stand by.