Public Works employee indicted for stealing diesel from New Jersey county for his personal trucking company

A New Jersey man was indicted by a Grand Jury for orchestrating a scheme to steal diesel fuel from Atlantic County to fuel trucks in his personal company’s fleet.

On March 10, 2026, Joseph Jenkins-Ridley, 48, was indicted by an Atlantic County Grand Jury on second-degree charges of Official Misconduct, Theft, and Conspiracy, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office (ACPO).

Officials accused Jenkins-Ridley of “orchestrating and leading a large-scale diesel-fuel theft operation.”`

Jenkins-Ridley owned New Jersey trucking company Z5 Logistics LLC while he was also employed as a supervisor in the Roads and Bridges Division of the Atlantic County Public Works Department.

“Since March 2023, Jenkins-Ridley has directed his employees at Z5 to fuel the trucks almost daily at the County fuel pumps. The total amount of fuel stolen is just under $80,000,” said ACPO.

Ridley and three employees of Z5 Logistics were arrested in June 2025 amid an investigation into the diesel theft scheme. The arrested individuals included Zakar Ridley, Jason Meredith, and Corey Smith, all from New Jersey.

ACPO said that an investigation into the case was launched in May 2025 after members of the Atlantic County Department of Public Works alerted law enforcement to irregularities in their diesel fuel logs.