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Suspects strip man to his underwear during armed robbery
(by Dan Prochilo - October 28, 2008)
As he entered the Lackawanna Plaza shopping center, a 26-year-old Newark man was grabbed by two suspects and led to a secluded area of the parking lot, where he was stripped down and robbed, police said.
The victim was walking into the shopping plaza at about 9:30 p.m. last Monday, Oct. 20, through the entrance behind the Bloomfield Avenue Commerce Bank when two men approached him and each of them grabbed one of his arms, according to authorities.
The perpetrators escorted the victim to the northeast corner of the parking area, behind a dump truck, where one of the robbers pressed the barrel of a handgun against the man’s stomach and his accomplice stripped the victim down to his underwear, police said.
The suspects took his wallet, which contained $30 and had a picture of a convertible Mustang on it, and they stole two of his credit cards, according to investigators. Before fleeing, they warned the victim to stay put and to avoid telling anyone about the crime, officials said. The victim was not injured during the robbery.
The suspects were described as two Hispanic males in their 20s who were wearing ski masks and black jackets, police indicated. Both suspects had thick Spanish accents, and it was difficult for the victim to comprehend what they were saying, authorities said. One of the suspects was about 6 feet tall while the other was around 5-feet 9-inches in height.
Anyone with information that could help police with the case should call Detective Adam Toops, 973-509-4717.
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