OLD BRIDGE — At least four times in the last two weeks, a man has walked into an Old Bridge Township supermarket, reached into a woman's pocketbook and stolen her wallet or credit cards. At least twice the man even pretended to ask the victim for help, and distracted her while going into the handbag, police said. And he had...
OLD BRIDGE — At least four times in the last two weeks, a man has walked into an Old Bridge Township supermarket, reached into a woman's pocketbook and stolen her wallet or credit cards.
At least twice the man even pretended to ask the victim for help, and distracted her while going into the handbag, police said.
And he had probably committed similar thefts in several other counties.
Old Bridge police today released security camera photos of the man, said to be African-American, about 6-feet tall and heavy-set.
The first theft in Old Bridge occurred in mid-September, police Detective Glenn Smalley said. In some cases the thief stole from bags left unattended in shopping carts, Smalley said. Sometimes a wallet was taken and then discarded after the credit cards were stolen, he said.
He received information about similar crimes in other Middlesex County towns, as well has in Monmouth, Union and Bergen counties.