Montclair Victim Chases, Fights Phone Thief: Police

MONTCLAIR, NJ — He took a strike to the face, but he got his phone back. That was the result of a Lodi man’s pursuit of a would-be phone thief in Montclair earlier this month, authorities say.

According to the Montclair Police Department, a 35-year-old Lodi man was standing on Forest Street on April 7, when a man approached him asking to use his cellular phone. The man then grabbed the victim’s phone and started to run away, authorities said.

The victim immediately chased after the thief, ultimately catching up to him and “engaging in a physical altercation,” police said.

A second suspect then came over and tried to assist the first suspect, who dropped the phone and took off with his accomplice, police said.

During the struggle, the victim was struck in the face. He was later treated for his injury on the scene, police said.

The victim told officers that the two suspects then fled the scene in a silver Volkswagen Jetta bearing a NJ license plate and driven by a female with shoulder-length hair. The victim described the first suspect as a tall, black male in his 20's with short brown hair, wearing a black shirt and red track pants. The victim described the second suspect as a younger male.

Keep updated on local public safety alerts at the Patch Montclair Facebook page.