Well, that’s … different.
A man walked into an Ecuadorian restaurant on South Street in Newark and bought a cup of coffee.
Then he pulled out his phone, and, using Google Translate, announced a robbery, police say.
The man threatened to kill the cashier if she didn’t open the register, at which point she ran away from the register, police say. The suspect tried to pull out the register on his own but couldn’t remove it.
Newark’s Ironbound district has a large Latino population. The man may have assumed the restaurant staff only spoke Spanish. The owner told News 12 the cashier there at the time of the robbery did speak English.
Then, cops say, the suspect threw his coffee and left the business. He was last seen walking toward Pennington Court. Authorities released surveillance photos of him (above).
No physical injuries were reported.
Anyone with information is asked to call the 24-hour Crime Stopper tip line at 1-877-NWK-TIPS.