Police warned deliverymen to be on high alert in Camden County, N.J. after two recent robberies of pizza deliverymen.
The attacks happened within blocks of each other in adjacent towns, according to Camden County Prosecutors
The first attack occurred around 8 Sunday night in Lawnside and left an 18-year-old Sicklerville man badly hurt, prosecutors said.
The teenager was delivering food for the Pizza Hut at 201 White Horse Pike in Magnolia when he was attacked while making a delivery to what turned out to be an abandoned home on the 100 block of Ashland Avenue, cops said.
The teen was attacked with a blunt object and severely beaten before his attackers made off with cash from his pockets, officials said.
The victim remained in critical but stable condition at the hospital Tuesday suffering from head trauma, officials said.
The second attack happened around 6:30 Monday night on the 100 block of King Street in Magnolia. Will Morales of Maple Shade was robbed while delivering food for Seasons Pizza in Stratford, authorities said.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
"At first I was like, 'oh my God this is not happening,'" Morales said.
The 33-year-old victim was looking for the delivery address when he felt a hard object that he believed was a gun pushed against his back, he said.
"When he stuck the gun in my back he said, 'look don't move... just give me your money and stay calm and nothing will happen to you. Just give me the money'" Morales said.
Morales says he thought of fighting back but thoughts of his family made him cooperate.
"I have a wife and I have a kid coming. I can't chance it. I just sat there and did what they told me."
Morales luckily wasn’t hurt during the robbery but he was robbed of cash, according to prosecutors.
Officials believe at least two men are responsible for the robberies but they had no description available of the suspects.
Morales however did notice something about the men before they attacked him.
"They actually had bandannas on as they were walking down the street and I was like that's weird they have their faces covered," he said.
The owners of Seasons Pizza said he has told his drivers to never fight back, be more cautious and they have stopped delivering to the area where the robberies happened.
The county was suggesting that all delivery people be aware of their surroundings.
“Anyone making food deliveries is recommended to be mindful of their surroundings and to alert police if a location or the circumstances of a delivery are suspicious,” said a press release from prosecutors.
Anyone with information should contact the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office Investigator Gary McBride at 856-225-8400, Lawnside Police Det. Brad Redrow at 856-573-6204 or Magnolia Police Det. Joseph Pappalardo at 856-784-1884.
Fan, follow and download: Get the latest from NBCPhiladelphia.com anytime, anywhere. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, our mobile site and NBC Philadelphia. Sign up for our breaking news newsletter. And, get breaking news delivered right to your mobile phone -- just text PHIBREAKING to 639710 to sign up. (Message and data rates may apply.)
