FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP — Police are searching for a middle-aged man in connection with several armed robberies in the township.
The first incident occurred at 11:30 p.m. April 11 when police received a report of an armed robbery involving a female victim from Jackson who was parked in front of the CVS pharmacy, which is open 24 hours, at the Raintree Town Center, Route 537.
Freehold Township Police Detective William Holohan reported that the suspect approached the victim as she sat in her vehicle putting make-up on, and sprayed her in the face with an unknown substance that made her eyes burn. The suspect reached into her car and grabbed her purse, then fled on foot. She described the accused as a black male, approximately 40 years old, and said he was “chubby, bald and had bad skin,” according to the police report.
The victim called 911 and then drove to the Freehold Raceway Mall to meet police.
Holohan said the second incident occurred on Aug. 17 at 10:21 p.m. when police responded to Koenig Lane on a report of another armed robbery involving a female victim. This victim resides in Maine but was visiting relatives in Freehold Township.
“The victim was out for a walk when an unknown black male sprayed something in her face which 
burned her eyes,” Holohan said.
He added that the unknown subject proceeded to grab her left wrist and pull on it.
“After a brief struggle, the victim was able to pull away and headed towards a relative’s house,” he said.
Holohan said the victim described the subject as a “black male in his early 30s, wearing a white short-sleeve polo shirt with blue stripes.”
The detective added that the accused may have fled in a dark four-door vehicle.
The third incident occurred on Aug 18 at 1:20 a.m. when police responded to Glenbrook Road in reference to a third armed robbery involving a female.
Holohan said the female victim, who resides in Freehold Township, dropped off a friend in the Colts Pride development, off Route 537.
“While exiting her vehicle out of the Colts Pride development, she said an ‘old-type green minivan’ pulled up alongside her car,” the detective said. “The guy was yelling something and she rolled down her window. The male [suspect] exited his vehicle and asked her for directions. He told her he needed to get to Route 18 in order to get to Newark,” Holohan said.
The detective said the male subject then got back into his car, and the victim began heading home. She then noticed the vehicle following her from Randolph Road to Walling Road.
Holohan said the victim pulled over, thinking the man was lost.
“The male subject got out of his car and went up to the victim’s window and asked her for the closest gas station. The accused then sprayed her in the face with an unknown type chemical, causing her eyes to burn. The accused screamed he had a gun and demanded for her to give him her purse. The accused then punched her on the side of the face, and she gave him her wallet. The victim then pressed on the accelerator and fled the scene,” Holohan said.
The female victim in this instance described the suspect as “a black male, approximately 6 feet tall in his mid-30s, who was bald, with chubby cheeks, a big build, and wearing a light-colored polo shirt,” according to the police report.
Holohan advises women, especially those traveling alone and at night, to be especially cautious, know their surroundings and not stop to engage anyone they don’t know in conversation. He said they should be aware of suspicious vehicles driven by those they do not know.
Anyone with information related to the robberies is asked to call Holohan at 732-294-5141.