Cashier at Newark restaurant brutally beaten after telling man not to cut line
NEWARK, New Jersey (WABC) -- A woman working as a cashier in a Newark restaurant was brutally attacked after she told a customer not to cut the line.
The victim was severely beaten and remains hospitalized, and a manhunt is underway for the customer.
She was left a bloody mess, her left eye pummeled so badly that it was swollen shut.
"Every time I deliver, she's the one the hands me the food and says hi to me," delivery worker Julissa Johnson said. "We don't know each other on a personal basis as far as hanging out, but we do speak when I pick up my deliveries."
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Police say the customer walked into the Golden Wings Fish and Chicken just before 6:30 p.m. on February 5 and went directly to the front of the line.
The cashier asked him to return to the back, and he was able to get behind the counter and attack her.
He reportedly made a comment that, "This is my neighborhood."
The attack took place while other customers were inside., and the fact that no one stepped in to help the woman has left many residents upset.
"I think it was very sad, and I don't understand why no one helped her," customer Gwen Waldon said. "There were six people in the store."
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Community members were demanding justice.
"I come from this community, I'm born and raised in this community," Oscar Sydney James II said. "And I know we deserve better, and we will do better, right. We will not allow this to happen."
Police have not yet made any arrests, but the store has plenty of video cameras that should help police in their investigation.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Division's 24-hour Crime Stopper tip line at 1-877-NWK-TIPS (1-877-695-8477). All anonymous Crime Stopper tips are kept confidential and could result in a reward.
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