Woman Robbed In Manchester Grocery Store Parking Lot: Police

MANCHESTER, NJ -- Manchester Township police are seeking the public’s help in tracking down a man who robbed a woman in the parking lot of Stop & Shop Saturday morning.

The man is described as a white male, believed to be in his late 20s or 30s, approximately 5-foot-10 to 6 feet tall, Manchester Capt. Todd Malland said. He was said to be wearing a dark-colored jacket with a beige hooded sweatshirt underneath and light gray sweatpants, Malland said.

He had a blue or black bandana covering his face at the time of the robbery, Malland said.

Police were called to the Stop & Shop at 400 Lacey Road in the Whiting section about 9:25 a.m., he said. The woman told police that she had just gotten into her vehicle to leave the parking lot after food shopping when the man opened her driver’s side door and demanded she give him all of her money, Malland said.

While the man was standing inside the vehicle door, he opened his jacket and showed what she believed to be a dark-colored handgun, Malland said.

The woman said she gave the man all of the cash she had on her, and he fled, running toward the nearby Wendy’s and Route 539, Malland said.

Assisting in the case were members of the Manchester Township Police Patrol and Investigations bureaus as well as K-9 handler Marc Micciulla and his partner Storm. Also assisting were detectives from the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigations (CSI) Unit. The case is being investigated by Detective Robert Maccaquano of the Investigations Bureau with the assistance of Patrolman Thomas O’Hare.

Anyone with information about the robbery is urged to contact the Manchester Township Police Dispatch immediately at 732-657-6111 or Detective Robert Maccaquano at 732-657-2009, ext. 4202. Anonymous tips can be submitted online at www.manchesterpolicenj.com. Tips may also be submitted through private Facebook message; click here for the Manchester Police Facebook page. Any help from the public is greatly appreciated.