Police in New Jersey are searching for a man and woman who allegedly stole a shopping cart filled with baby formula from a Target store in Monmouth County, then punched an employee before making their getaway, authorities said.
The couple went to the Route 9 Target store in Manalapan and filled a shopping cart with $1,437 worth of baby formula, according to police. When the man tried to leave the store with one cart of the formula, an employee confronted them.
That's when the male suspect assaulted the worker, causing serious injury, police said. The employee was taken to the hospital with contusions, a broken finger and a sprained arm.
The confrontation was caught on surveillance video released Tuesday, along with video of the female suspect stocking one cart with formula.
The couple fled in a blue Toyota Camry with plates that appeared to be from Virginia, said police.
Investigators said the couple may also be behind a series of similar baby formula thefts at other Target stores in the tri-state area. Store managers across area have been told to remain alert for the suspects.
Because it is an expensive staple item with a high resale value, baby formula has been a popular theft item for years. It has become such a problem that federal laws have been proposed to crack down on organized formula theft.
