Taken for a ride: Queens man posing as car salesman at Valley Stream Toyota dealership scams 77-year-old, police say

An Ozone Park man has been arrested and charged with grand larceny Tuesday for allegedly tricking an elderly man into giving him more than $13,000 in cash, supposedly in exchange for a car, Nassau police said.

On Oct. 27, Navendra Balisingh, 22, identified himself as a salesman at a Valley Stream Toyota dealership to a 77-year-old man, Nassau police said in a news release. After Balisingh and the Toyota customer reached a verbal agreement for a sale, Balisingh drove the man to a Chase Bank. The man then withdrew $4,700 for a supposed deposit on the vehicle.

The next day, Balisingh reached out to the man to request more money, police said. The man gave him a total of around $13,700, but he never received a car.

Following an investigation, Nassau police arrested Balisingh without incident on Tuesday and charged him with third-degree grand larceny. He pleaded not guilty to the charge before Judge Maxine Broderick at First District Court in Hempstead and was released on his own recognizance, according to court records. He was represented at his arraignment by the Legal Aid Society of Nassau County.