Exclusive: Customer attempts to stop restaurant robbery in New Jersey
NEW JERSEY (WABC) -- In an Eyewitness News exclusive, a customer jumped into action during a robbery in a New Jersey restaurant and it was all caught on video.
On the video you see the suspect walk in to the restaurant at 3 p.m. The only customer inside Kapadokya Mediterranean Grill on Route 1 in South Brunswick, having lunch, had seen him coming up the driveway with a hoodie over his head and a canvas bag covering one hand.
"I turned to the girl and said, we're in trouble. She didn't react. I thought it was a joke," said John Kozuha.
The 6 foot 2 man walks to the counter, the waitress, new to this country, barely understands what's happening.
She goes to get help from the back, and john sitting right across from the incident, is all of a sudden alone with an armed robber.
"I stood up and told him to get out," he said.
John says adrenaline kicked in, and he can barely remember what happened next, but the surveillance tape shows it all. The man charges John with a 12 inch knife.
"He was ready to slash me he said. I didn't know if he had a gun or a knife. I grabbed my helmet and now I have slash marks on it," adds John.
John then called 911.
"This is a small restaurant, he could've just sat there and let it go on but John was very feisty and gave him verbal commands to get out of there," said Lt. Jim Ryan.
Anyone with information on the robbery is asked to call police.
