New Jersey man charged with stealing N95 masks from health care workers

Prosecutors in New Jersey have now charged a second man with helping steal roughly 1,600 N95 masks that were bound for hospital workers.

Why it matters: Hospitals have struggled to provide enough surgical masks for their workers during the coronavirus outbreak, let alone upgraded personal protective equipment (PPE) like N95s.

"Stephen Milligan, 54, faces counts of theft by unlawful taking and conspiracy to commit theft," WashPost reports.

• "Prosecutors allege he used his access as an on-site electrical contract or at a Prudential Financial building in Iselin, N.J., to sneak into a storage area and steal cases of N95 respirator masks intended for health-care workers dealing with an influx of coronavirus patients."
• "Another electrical contractor, 49-year-old Kevin R. Brady, was charged in late April in the alleged theft. It was not immediately clear if either had retained an attorney."