2 Men Out On Bail After Grandparent Scam Accused Of Trying To Leave

By: KDKA-TV News Staff

BETHEL PARK, Pa. (KDKA) - Two men charged in a grandparent scam in Bethel Park are back in jail after police said they tried to leave while out on bail.

Earlier this week, police arrested Wilson Burgos Hernandez and Noel Medrano-Abreu for allegedly trying to scam a couple out of $12,000. They were released on bail, but police said they tried to leave the area.

Burgos Hernandez tried to board a plane to the Dominican Republic Thursday night in Philadelphia, police said. Medrano-Abreu was arrested when police said he returned to the police station to get the pair's car.

According to the criminal complaint, a woman claiming to be a Montgomery County public defender called the couple and told them their son had gotten into an accident involving a pregnant woman and was taken to jail. Police said the woman told the couple to withdraw $12,700 in order to release their son.

The victims told KDKA that's when the woman on the phone told them that she could send a bail bondsman to their home to collect the money. They said they decided to call their son's cellphone and when he answered, they realized it was a scam.

Burgos Hernandez is accused of showing up to collect the money, and police said Medrano-Abreu was the getaway vehicle.

Both are back in jail and have been denied bail on their new charges.