Toms River Police Car (File Photo)
Police in Toms River are investigating three armed robberies over the last several weeks, all of which produced a similar description of a suspect.
The first occurred Dec. 19 at about 7:45 p.m., when police were called to the Wawa located at 1680 Route 9, near Stevens Road, for a reported robbery. Upon arrival, officers met the gas attendant who reported that a white male suspect pushed his way into the outside kiosk and attempted to grab money from the cash register who then fled on foot. No weapon was shown.
A few days later on Dec. 26 at about 5 p.m., officers responded to the Krauszer’s store located at 946 Hooper Avenue, near James Street, for a reported robbery. The arriving officers met with the store clerk who reported that the suspect attempted to gain access to the cash register, but fled the store on foot following a brief struggle. The clerk was not injured in this incident. The suspect was again described as a white male wearing a dark colored sweatshirt. The Ocean County Sheriff CSI Unit responded to both the 7-Eleven and Krauszer’s scenes.
Finally, on Dec. 30, police were called to the 7-Eleven located at 1219 Route 166, near Hilltop Road at about 10:40 p.m. for a reported robbery. Officers met with the store clerk who reported that the suspect approached him behind the counter, threatened that he had a weapon however none was shown, and was able to retrieve an undisclosed amount of money from the cash register. The store clerk was not injured during the encounter and the suspect fled on foot. The suspect was, once again, described as a white male wearing a white sweatshirt.
The robberies are currently under investigation and it is unknown if the three incidents are related. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Toms River Police Department at 732-349-0150, Detective Daniel Brennan at ext. 1290 or Detective Travis Seaman at ext. 1368.
