Police: No money was stolen from Woodbridge Girl Scouts

Woodbridge police are saying that no theft occurred.

News 12 Staff

Jan 30, 2019, 9:13 PM

Updated 2,084 days ago

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It was a story that shocked the state – over $1,000 allegedly stolen from Girl Scouts selling cookies outside of the Woodbridge Center mall.
In the wake of the alleged theft, many good Samaritans came forward to help out the girls. Dozens of people contacted Troop 80062 in order to buy extra cookies and donate money. The troop even received a check for $1,200 from the hosts of the television show “The Talk.”
But now Woodbridge police are saying that no theft occurred.
Troop leader Jessica Medina reported to police that on Jan. 18 someone had stolen an envelope containing about $500 in cash and several checks, totaling over $1,000. Medina admitted to police that the envelope was left unattended.
Medina posted on Facebook that the theft was captured on surveillance video and that a man and an elderly woman using a walker were responsible for the theft.
Woodbridge police say that they located the man and elderly woman and cleared them of any wrongdoing.
Police also say that after reviewing the surveillance video in and around the area of the Boscov’s store where the girls were selling the cookies, they determined that the proceeds envelope on the sales table and the alleged theft were not shown. Police also say that the proceeds from the sales were kept in a cash box and not an envelope.
Police say that Medina later told them that the money in the envelope was not from cookie proceeds, but from other Girl Scout events and that she was apparently planning on taking all the money to the bank later on that day.
Woodbridge police tell News 12 New Jersey that they are still working to determine if any money is actually missing.
A spokesperson for the Girl Scouts of Central and Southern New Jersey tell News 12 that Medina has since been removed as a troop leader volunteer. The spokesperson said that the Girl Scouts are cooperating with law enforcement officials to continue the investigation.