Police are investigating a series of early-morning robbery attempts at three separate McDonald's restaurants, authorities confirm.
Investigators are searching for a man with dreadlocks and gray hooded sweatshirt, officials said (file photo).NEWARK -- Police are investigating a series of early-morning robbery incidents at three separate McDonald's restaurants.
The first occurred just after 6 a.m. at a McDonald's located at 101 Clinton Ave., said Newark Police Department spokesman Sgt. Ronald Glover.
Employees at the restaurant informed arriving officers a person wearing a mask and armed with a handgun entered, demanded cash and then fled in a dark-colored vehicle, Glover said.
Thirty minutes later, police arriving at a McDonald's restaurant at 561 McCarter Highway were informed by a cashier that she was approached by a male armed with a handgun while she was working the drive-through window, Glover said.
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The cashier told police that suspect demanded money, but fled the scene in a dark-colored vehicle before obtaining any cash, Glover said.
A third incident--and second attempted robbery--occurred just minutes later, authorities said. A cashier at the McDonald's at 334 West Market reported to responding officers that the restaurant was robbed just before 7:45 a.m. by two male suspects in a four-door vehicle, Glover said.
According to witness statements provided to investigators, one of the two men exited the vehicle after arriving at the drive-through window, pointed a gun at the responding cashier and demanded money, Glover said.
When the cashier told him that she couldn't open the register, the suspect attempted to enter through the window, Glover said. Unable to gain entry, he and the driver fled the scene, he added.
Witnesses to the incidents described the suspect armed with the handgun as a male with shoulder-length dreadlocks dressed in a gray hooded sweatshirt, Glover said. Authorities have not said whether the suspect has been identified.
None of the victims involved sustained injuries during the incidents, Glover said.
An investigation by the Newark Police Department is ongoing, Glover said. Authorities have asked that anyone with information about the crimes contact the Newark Police Department.
Vernal Coleman can be reached at vcoleman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @vernalcoleman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
