Masked man assaults woman during violent robbery at New Jersey mattress store
The suspect physically assaulted the employee and then locked her in a closet before leaving the store, according to police.
MARLTON, New Jersey (WPVI) -- Evesham police are looking for a man in connection with an armed robbery and physical assault at the Mattress Warehouse in Marlton, New Jersey.
The incident has some people who frequent the shopping center where it happened thinking twice about their safety.
"It makes me so uncomfortable, I live right down the street," said Denise Brown.
Police responded to the store on Route 70 around 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
Police say a store employee reported an unknown man, wearing all black and a face-covering, possibly with a knife, entered the store and demanded money.
The suspect physically assaulted the employee and then locked her in a closet before leaving the store. The victim was eventually able to free herself from the closet and seek help, investigators say.
A woman who works nearby, who did not want to be identified, says the victim came into her business asking for help.
"She was pretty banged up, her face was bleeding, her teeth were bloody, she had a gash in her head," the woman told Action News. "She was really shaken up. She couldn't even get out exactly what happened."
The woman said she locked down her business, called 911, and tried to console the victim until police arrived.
"I just tried to talk to her, calm her down, and ask her where she was hurt, if she needed anything, can I call somebody for you," the woman recalled.
The victim was taken to Virtua Hospital to be treated for her injuries.
"You're in Marlton, you think we're in a good neighborhood working and then for something like this to happen next door. It's scary. It makes you think," the woman added.
Police have released a surveillance photo of the person they are looking for.
Police say their investigation is ongoing and no arrests have been made.
In the meantime, people reacting to the incident say they'll be changing their routine.
"It's scary, it makes you think, of course, nobody will be by themselves anymore, that's for sure," the unidentified woman said.
If you have any information that could help in this case, you're asked to call Evesham police.
