Delivery Driver Crashes in Attempt to Escape Robbers

A 61-year-old delivery man for a Garfield deli escaped from a trio of would-be armed robbers in Saddle Brook Tuesday by accelerating his car forward and hitting three parked cars.

The driver, who only speaks Mandarin and was accompanied by his 17-year-old son in the car, was delivering an order of alcohol and soda to an Alberta Drive home, according to Saddle Brook Police Deputy Chief Robert White.

When they arrived on the street to make the delivery, three men described as being in their late teens approached the car and allegedly attempted to pay for the order with fake money. After the driver refused the counterfeit bills, one of the men displayed a small handgun and one hit the driver in the head, according to White.

When one of the men hit the driver, he stepped on the accelerator to escape the would-be robbers, escaping but also hitting three parked cars in the process. There was only minimal damage to the cars, according to White.

"We are currently conducting an extensive and thorough investigation of this incident, including the delivery and sale of alcohol to residential homes in our community," White said in a press release. "Our primary focus is finding the suspects responsible for committing an attempted armed robbery and we are also concerned about the ability of persons to order and buy alcohol by mobile delivery service in our community."

Fair Lawn Police, Bergen County Police and the Bergen County Sheriff's Department K-9 Unit assisted in the investigation.