Police: Petal Foster, of Brooklyn, stole identity to obtain car loan

A Brooklyn woman was arrested Wednesday after she used a 72-year-old woman’s identity to obtain a car loan, police said.

Nassau County police said the victim attempted to purchase a cellphone on June 6 in Hempstead. During the purchase, she was told that she was the co-signer on a $37,772 car loan for a woman named Petal Foster, police said.

The victim was not aware of the loan, but told Crimes Against Property detectives that the name was the same as a counselor at Safe Horizon, a Manhattan-based agency that serves victims of violence, which the victim had used in 2015.

At the time of the identity theft victim’s interaction with Foster, police said, Foster was a counselor at the agency.

Following an investigation, police found Foster, 37, of 1045 E. 59th St., Brooklyn, on Wednesday and arrested her.

Foster was charged with second-degree possession of a forged instrument, first-degree identity theft and third-degree unlawful possession of personal identification.

She was arraigned Wednesday at First District Court in Hempstead. District Judge Darlene Harris set bail at $2,000 bond, $1,000 cash, according to court records.

Foster is due back in court on Friday. It was unclear whether she is represented.