'Expensive lesson.' Massapequa Park man says scammer he met on Facebook Marketplace stole his Rolex

Police say the victim agreed to sell the watch to the 30-year-old man on social media.

Cecilia Dowd

Jan 29, 2024, 1:00 PM

Updated 360 days ago

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A Massapequa Park man was caught on camera - first getting knocked down by an SUV, then jumping on its hood trying to stop it - after he said the driver stole his Rolex.
Steven Mauro said he posted the watch on Facebook Marketplace for $8,000.
He and a man ultimately agreed on $7,300. When the man came to pick up the watch outside Mauro’s Jerusalem Avenue home, things went south.
Mauro said at first, the suspect looked through all the paperwork but when he asked Mauro to get in the passenger seat, Mauro knew something wasn’t right.
Mauro said the man was holding the watch, and since the passenger door was locked, he ran around to the driver’s side. He wound up getting thrown from the car. The man got away with the watch.
“I never thought in a million years that this would happen,” Mauro said.
Mauro said it was an “expensive lesson” but he’s resilient.
Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said the car involved was a Honda SUV with Connecticut plates.
He said there’s a “similar scam” going on in New York City with the same type of vehicle. Anyone with information is urged to call Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS.
Mauro suffered some scrapes in the incident.