Police search for Chestnut Hill grocery store robber

Despite the stalwart efforts of a spaghetti sauce-wielding store employee, the Philadelphia Police Department is seeking the assistance of the public in identifying the suspect responsible for robbing a supermarket in Chestnut Hill on Wednesday.

At around 1:25 a.m. on Jan. 30, an unknown male forced his way into a Pathmark supermarket located at 7700 Crittenden St. by prying open the front doors.

Once inside, the suspect went behind the customer service counter to the cigarette cabinet where he was confronted by an employee. When the employee approached the suspect, he attempted to stab the employee with the tool he used to pry the doors open.

After taking the cash register, which contained an undetermined amount of cash, the suspect fled in a dark colored four-door vehicle with a broken passenger rear window – the result of a jar of spaghetti sauce thrown by a supermarket employee – in an unknown direction.

The suspect is described as heavy-built black male with a dark complexion and a scruffy beard, 30 to 40 years old. He was wearing a dark-colored hooded sweatshirt, dark-colored pants, and a long white t-shirt at the time of the robbery.

Anyone with information about the robbery is asked to call 911, the Northwest Detective Division at (215) 686-3353/54 or the tips line at (215) 686-8477 (TIPS). Tips can also be texted to PPD TIP (773847) or submitted via the department’s website, www.phillypolice.com