Unlicensed Post-Sandy Contractor In Toms River Arrested on Theft Charge

A contractor who authorities allege took $40,000 from a victim of Superstorm Sandy and failed to complete the work he was hired to do found himself behind bars this week.

David Bauer, 43, of Toms River, is facing a charge of theft by deception, Ocean County Prosecutor's Office spokesman Al Della Fave said. He was arrested Monday morning by detectives from the prosecutor's office's Economic Crimes Unit.

Bauer is charged with accepting $40,000 and failing to complete renovations he was contracted to make on a Sandy-damaged home in the Ocean Beach section of Toms River, Della Fave said.

The victims in the case claim Bauer began performing repairs on their damaged home in July 2013, but abandoned the project in August 2013 after he accepted the $40,000 payment.

The investigation by the Economic Crimes Unit found that Bauer is not a registered contractor and never pulled any permits for the work done on the house, said Della Fave.

Bauer had been lodged in the Ocean County Jail in lieu of $5,000 set by Superior Court Judge Rochelle Gizinski. Bauer was not listed as an inmate on Tuesday morning.