Clifton police search for grocery store robber

CLIFTON — A man walked into a store asking about the price of soap before robbing the clerk at knifepoint and running off with $300 and the soap, police said.

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The man walked into Barrales Grocery on Main Avenue about 6:45 p.m. Friday, picked up a bar of soap in the back of the store and asked the clerk how much it cost. The man gave the clerk a $5 bill for the $1.25 soap, and took out a knife when she opened the cash register to give him change, said Detective Capt. Robert Rowan.

He demanded money, leaned over the counter and grabbed $300 from the register. The robber ran from the store with the cash and the soap, Rowan said.

Police describe the man as thin, light-skinned, clean shaven and 5-feet-9-inches tall. He was wearing blue jeans, sneakers, and a maroon coat with a tan hooded sweatshirt underneath, Rowan said.

Witnesses saw him walking around the neighborhood before the robbery, police said. Anyone with information should call Detective Robert Anderson at 973-470-5926.