Beauty salon employees locked Paterson robbery suspect inside store
By Jayed Rahman
Published: April 22, 2021
A man likely high on drugs entered a beauty salon on Ellison Street to rob the business. A group of quick-thinking employees got out of the salon and locked the suspect inside until police arrived at the scene.
The suspect, Reshawn Evans, 27, of Paterson, was charged with robbery and criminal mischief over the April 15 incident.
Police found Evans inside the salon at 80 Ellison Street pacing back and forth. The salon’s owner was out shopping at a nearby supermarket when an employee contacted her to say someone high on drugs had got inside the shop and was trying to steal money from the cash register.
Employees got out of the salon and locked the suspect inside to prevent him from escaping. He was trapped inside kicking the glass door, trying to escape.
“He displayed behavior associated with drug use based on the officers’ training and experience,” said Passaic County assistant prosecutor Jennifer Fetterman during a detention hearing on Tuesday.
Police searched him and recovered $280 from his left pocket that he allegedly stole from the cash register. The entire salon was “ransacked”, and the cash register was broken on the floor, said Fetterman.
The salon’s owner told police the front door would cost $1,000 to repair, $350 to replace the cash register, and $50 for a damaged coffee maker.
Evans was taken to the hospital for an evaluation.
“I sincerely apologize for the mistake that I made. I just want to move on,” said Evans during the detention hearing.
Fetterman argued to keep Evans in jail. Evans’ public defender argued for his release.
Passaic County judge Joseph Portelli released him on home detention.
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