BY JOHN DUNPHY
Staff Writer
EDISON – Police are investigating a pair of fast-food restaurant robberies at the Inman Grove Shopping Center they believe are connected.
Employees at the Burger King restaurant at the Inman Avenue shopping complex told police three black males forced their way into the establishment around closing time on July 21. One of the males had a gun and made off with an indeterminate amount of cash, they said.
Another robbery occurred three days later, at the Taco Bell restaurant, also in the Inman Grove Shopping Center. Three black males forced their way in again and took approximately $1,000 in cash, Lt. Joseph Shannon said.
The first incident at Burger King happened around 10:15 p.m., when one of the employees went to take out the garbage through the back door. That’s when he was confronted by the three black males, according to the police report.
The three men all wore masks. They were described as approximately 5 feet 10 inches tall to 6 feet 2 inches tall, with medium builds. One of the males allegedly carried a black semi-automatic handgun, according to witness accounts.
Two of the three alleged suspects forced their way in and headed to the cash register. The third individual stood watch outside the back door, Shannon said.
“At gunpoint, they ordered everyone to keep quiet and demanded money,” Shannon said. “The two suspects cleared the money from the registers.”
Once they removed the money, all three individuals fled on foot out the back door in an unknown direction, he said.
The following Monday, at 12:30 a.m., another trio of masked individuals, again described by eyewitness accounts as being black males with the same physical descriptions, made their way into the nearby Taco Bell, also in the Inman Avenue Shopping Center, Shannon said.
This time, instead of all three alleged suspects wearing black masks with eye holes cut out, one of them wore a white mask, according to reports.
The Taco Bell robbery played out the same way. One of the employees took out the garbage, only to find three suspects waiting outside.
One of the suspects again carried a handgun and demanded money, Shannon said. An estimated $1,000 in cash was taken from the Taco Bell restaurant, he said.
After taking the money, the three suspects again fled on foot, the lieutenant said.
Police are treating both incidents as connected. They ask anyone with any information to contact the Edison Police Department at (732) 248-7400.