Man Robs Bloomfield News Stand Using Flammable Liquid: Police

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — An Essex County man used a bottle of unknown, flammable liquid to rob a news stand in Bloomfield earlier this week, authorities said.

According to the Bloomfield Police Department, patrol units responded to a news stand on the 100-block of La France Avenue at 7:58 p.m. on Monday after getting a report about a robbery.

The victim told officers that a man – later identified as Elvis Holder, 54, of East Orange – walked into the store and asked her to play some lottery numbers for him. As she did, he started pouring an unknown substance out of a Nestle water bottle onto the countertop.

When the victim asked Holder what he was doing, he allegedly told her, “Give me everything in the register,” then pulled out a lighter and threatened to light the liquid on fire, police said.

The victim took all of the money from the lottery cash register, about $968, and gave it to Holder, who then made his escape, police said.

Bloomfield police later recovered video surveillance from the store, which captured “a good facial image” of Holder. Detectives and patrol units located Holder in the rear yard of an East Orange home on Wednesday and arrested him, police said.

Authorities charged Holder with robbery, possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose. He was transported to the Essex County Correctional Facility in Newark pending a court appearance, police said.

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