A trip to the Dunkin on Route 17 North in Rutherford ended with a knife pulled on a store manager, a police chase on foot, and an arrest, after a customer allegedly skipped out on paying for doughnuts and a Gatorade Thursday morning.
The incident happened around 8:50 a.m. on Oct. 22, according to Rutherford police Chief Sean Farrell. Police say Ricardo Salamon ordered doughnuts and a Gatorade and then left without paying, according to a report from DailyVoice.com. When the store manager followed him outside and tried to get him to pay for the items, Salamon allegedly pulled a knife and began advancing toward the employee.
That is when other customers inside the Dunkin stepped in. They pulled the manager back inside the store and locked the front door, keeping Salamon from getting back in, the outlet reports. Salamon then allegedly kicked the door before fleeing north on foot along Route 17.
Officer Cuts Off Escape With Patrol Vehicle
The chase did not last long. Officer Van Dyk spotted Salamon running north and used his patrol vehicle to cut off his path, according to the same account. Salamon was taken into custody without incident, police said.
He now faces charges of robbery, terroristic threats, obstruction and possession of a weapon, per the police account relayed through the outlet's report. New Jersey's terroristic-threats statute, as recorded by the New Jersey Legislature, makes it a third-degree crime to threaten a crime of violence with the purpose of terrorizing another person.
What Remains Unconfirmed
Court records, a formal police department release, and a prosecutor's statement were not immediately available to independently verify the charges beyond the chief's account. Details such as Salamon's age, any attorney representing him, and whether the case has moved forward in court have not been reported.
