Update: 9:10 – ADP is now on record stating its intentions as reported in an email statement to NJBiz – “ADP is not acquiring or taking over First Priority Pay, but has a contract with First Priority Pay that permits us to solicit and then convert…” 
This confirms our earlier report of rumors the actual company was not being purchased but the rights to take its clients.


The bizarre arrest of local businessman Jerry Carter, first reported by Amy Sara Clark at Hoboken Now is making for quite a bit of water cooler chatter.  Jerry Carter, the owner of a payroll firm in Hoboken, First Priority Pay was arrested yesterday and faces charges of terrorizing and kidnapping a woman who also worked for the firm.  


It’s quite a lot to sift through and even worse to stomach.  The woman is apparently naive and suffers from a lung condition.  This guy has already beens sprung on $100,000 bail and has a good lawyer working on the case denying all the charges (of course.)  

We spent some time last night going over this with Jimmy the K but the story as one reader PeterR commented earlier has taken an even weirder turn.  The Hudson Reporter details even more of this story with an interview with the respective law enforcement.  As we thought, there was no way they would have made this arrest without information beyond the accusations of the woman involved.  The investigation took place over three months and the police may have been tipped off by an employee who was later charged with embezzeling over $500,000 from the firm.


ADP the company said to be buying Carter’s company in August is now silent.  The word on the street is they were buying the client list and already rumors are coming out about all kinds of bad client mismanagement.  We expect that as it gets closer to trial, it will be worse.  Much worse.  Just reading the comments posted on Hoboken Now leads you to believe it can’t go any other way.


Photo courtesy Amy Sara Clark / Hoboken Now