Attempted armed robbery at Route 1 motel.
By: Joseph Harvie
There may be a connection between the attempted armed robbery Sunday night at the LaMirage Motel on Route 1 and other businesses in the county, South Brunswick police Detective James Ryan said.
Detective Ryan said two men entered the motel at 10:08 p.m. Sunday and attempted to rob the manager’s office at gunpoint.
Detective Ryan said police are looking at armed robbery attempts in other municipalities that fit the same pattern, including several in East Brunswick and Edison within the past five to six days. He said it was too early in the investigation to say how the incidents could be connected.
Police said Sunday night two employees of the LaMirage were in the office with a 17-year-old friend when they noticed a tall black man enter the building from a side entrance. The man walked toward the secured manager’s office and then began to walk away.
As he walked away, a second, Shorter black man entered from the lobby and pointed a gun at the employees in the office through a bullet proof window.
Police said the suspects then attempted to break into the office by kicking the door twice. When they could not break in, they left.
As they were attempting to break down the door, one of the employees in the manager’s office called police.
Police said the employees did not see which direction the men headed after they fled and did not see the men’s vehicle.
Police said the suspects reminded one of the witnesses of two patrons that had stayed at the motel Saturday night.
Although there was a surveillance camera at the hotel, it had not been running at the time of the attempted robbery, police said.
The first man was described as black, about 6 feet, 2 inches tall or taller, wearing black jeans, a black hooded jacket and a do-rag that covered his face. The second man was described as black, about 5 feet, 8 inches tall, wearing a brownish gray hooded jacket with a black and white do-rag covering his face. Police said the shorter man had the gun.

