June 05 -- WESTPORT, MA — A Rhode Island man is facing charges after faking repairs on a town fire truck.
Thomas Reardon, 32, of 158 Larkin Pond Road, South Kingstown, R.I., was arrested Thursday by police in that town at the request of Westport police.
Reardon was sought after investigators were told he accepted over $15,000 to repair a pumper truck. He later returned the truck with the defective area disguised and no repairs done. The truck had been damaged during an August 2017 emergency call.
Reardon had charged $10,478 to repair and overhaul kit, $375 in freight costs and $4,400 in labor costs after the the fire department sought to repair a water leak. After the truck was returned, fire department personnel noticed the truck was leaking worse.
In December, Reardon came to the fire station to view the pumper and admitted he had not repaired the truck at all. Fire personnel noticed he had allegedly covered the area with fresh spray paint to disguise visible rusty bolts on the affected area.
Police said Reardon apologized for not doing any repairs and asked for time to repay the money. Months later Reardon stopped answering his phone and emails and Westport investigators visiting his business location discovered it was vacant and abandoned. Neighbors told police he had left the building two months earlier.
Reardon turned himself in at the Fall River Justice Center on June 5 and his arraignment was postponed until June 12.
"Our concern is that Mr. Reardon brought back an emergency tool used by firefighters to rescue people's lives and protect property while knowing it was still broken," Detective Jeff Majewski said in a statement. "This wasn't a situation where a mechanic did a poor repair job, this was a crime to pretend the truck was fixed and accept over $15,000 dollars from public safety heroes who risk their lives on a regular basis."
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