Police say Port Authority worker ‘stole’ $17,300 in unearned pay and faked need for mortgage help

⚠️ Port Authority worker charged with theft and record-tampering offenses

➡️ Investigators say he collected $17,321 in pay for shifts he did not work

🔴 Authorities also say he sought mortgage relief while claiming he was unemployed

A Pennsylvania man who works for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is facing theft and tampering charges in Hudson County.

Noah Nieves, of Macungie, Pennsylvania, has worked for Port Authority as a maintenance supervisor.

The 53-year-old Nieves is charged with third-degree counts of theft by deception and tampering with records, Hudson County Prosecutor Wayne Mello said on Thursday.

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Investigators say supervisor collected pay without reporting to work

Police launched an investigation a year ago after receiving an anonymous complaint that Nieves was repeatedly collecting his regular pay and overtime without showing up at job sites.

Investigators collected Port Authority camera footage, E-ZPass toll records, and license plate reader data, plus cell phone location data, which supported the fact that Nieves was not at work for multiple shifts over a four-month span, for a collective $17,321.82 in unearned wages.

Mortgage assistance application also drew scrutiny

Over the same time span in April 2025, Nieves also emailed a completed mortgage assistance application, claiming that he was a "federal" worker who was unemployed and in need of a grace period for three to six months of mortgage payments.

The Port Authority Office of the Inspector General contacted human resources, who confirmed that at that point, Nieves was never furloughed, terminated, or laid off.

Nieves was arrested Tuesday at the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office in Secaucus and released, pending his first court appearance.

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