WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, N.J. — A server at a south New Jersey diner was abducted and assaulted Saturday night by a group of diners who did not pay their bill, investigators said.
Washington Township police said the 20-year-old server confronted the group of five people after they tried to leave the Nifty Fifties diner without paying their $70 bill when they kidnapped her, WPVI reported.
“They’re having trouble finding wait staff due to the pandemic and she came out to confront them,” Washington Township Police Chief Patrick Gurcsik told WPVI. “They pulled her into the vehicle and assaulted her inside the vehicle.”
Surveillance video shows one person get out of a white Dodge Durango before it drives off the parking lot. The SUV was heading south toward Monroe Township when the server was pushed from it. She ran back to the restaurant and called police.
She was taken to a hospital where she was treated and released. She suffered bruising and a possible concussion, WPVI reported.
Authorities recommend employees take down the license plate of customers who try to dine and dash and then call police.
“Do not chase after accused suspects and confront them yourselves,” Gurcsik said.