New Jersey

New Jersey Cops Hunt Bandits in Shrink Wrap Garage Robbery

Victim suffered minor injuries after suspects entered garage, Garfield authorities say

Authorities in New Jersey are searching for two suspects who allegedly robbed a man at gunpoint in a Garfield garage after binding him to a chair with shrink wrap and hitting him in the face.

Police say the victim, Luis Lopez, a mechanic, was working in the garage on the evening of Jan. 11 when he was approached by two men in bubble jackets asking for help. One of them allegedly flashed a gun, hit him in the face and secured him to the chair with the shrink wrap before grabbing cash from his pocket and running away, cops say.

The robbers got away with between $2,000 to $3,000 of his rent money, Lopez said, adding that this is the third time the shop has been robbed.

Lopez was rescued after a woman walking by heard his screams for help as he called the name of his friend who works next door, he told News 4.

The woman and got the friend, who busted through the glass of the garage, opened it up and freed Lopez from the shrink-wrapped chair.

"At that moment, I cried like a baby," he said. "He saved me."  

Garfield police believe that the items used during the robbery, like the shrink wrap, were items of opportunity that the suspects "took advantage of" from the garage.

Authorities say the two men were wearing dark winter hats and hooded sweatshirts, along with the bubble jackets.  

Anyone with information can contact the Garfield Police at 973-478-8500.

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