'Absolutely frightening': Neighbors concerned after armed home invasion in Evesham, New Jersey

EVESHAM, NJ (WPVI) -- Police in South Jersey are searching for the suspect who tried to rob a couple and tie them up in their home last week.

Officials released surveillance images on Tuesday in hopes of tracking this person down.

Police say the suspect is a young male, around 5 feet, 11 inches tall. He was wearing all dark clothes and a ski mask.

Officers were called to a home on Dana Road in the Willow Ridge Development in Evesham just after 9:30 p.m. on Thursday for a report of a physical altercation.

The homeowner was outside moving trash cans when someone approached him. A physical altercation began in the garage.

"The suspect then forced the victim in the home using a box cutter-style knife. The suspect threatened the victim and his wife with the knife and attempted to bind them with rope," said Acting Police Chief Tom Reinholt.

Police say neighbors called 911 when they heard yelling in front of the house. The suspect fled through the back door when officers arrived.

"A very brazen act," added Reinholt. "To happen when someone is out there - trash night, getting their home in order."

Investigators found rope at the scene, which they're analyzing as evidence.

Police used a canine to track the suspect's scent the night of the crime, but it only led them to the point where the suspect got into his getaway vehicle, according to officials.

Evesham police have released images of what they believe is the getaway car the suspect used. It's described as a white four-door sedan and is believed to have fled onto Clinton Lane, then Buckley Lane and then Willow Ridge Road.

Reinholt says this seems to be an isolated incident at this point.

"Obviously, the advice is to be aware of your surroundings and be cognizant of what's going on around you," he said.

Action News spoke with one neighbor who finds the whole thing unnerving.

"It's a quiet neighborhood. I'm here 29 years and have not heard of anything around the Willow Ridge section," said the neighbor, who did not want to be identified. "Certainly, it is absolutely frightening. Especially as a woman and you hear that it may have been a woman who was approached. I think it is frightening."

No one was injured in the incident.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Evesham Police Department at 856-983-1116, or the confidential tip line at 856-983-4699.

Correction: The original version of this story said the incident happened Monday