Would-Be Robber Dies After Clerk Chases, Detains Him in Middletown

A 61-year-old Middletown man was taken to Garnet Health Medical Center and later pronounced dead after he became unconscious while being detained by a store clerk following an alleged robbery at Ezzie’s Corner Convenience Store on Wickham Avenue, Middletown Police and Patch report. Police were contacted at 7:49 p.m. by a witness who reported a woman sitting on top of a man near 40 Grove Street.

Investigators say the man “entered the store and demanded money from the clerk while threatening to shoot her if she did not comply.” The clerk handed over cash from the register, and the man began leaving the store on foot, according to the preliminary account published by local outlets. The clerk chased after him and told investigators she “did not see a visible weapon on the suspect.”

According to police and witness accounts, the clerk caught up to the man in the driveway of 117 Wickham Ave., where “the two fell to the ground after she grabbed him.” The clerk “held the man down and began yelling for help,” drawing the attention of a passerby who called 911. Patch reported the initial 7:49 p.m. 911 call described a woman detaining a man near 40 Grove Street; police encountered the caller and the clerk at that location.

When officers separated the parties and checked the man, he was found to be unconscious and non-responsive. “Officers immediately initiated life-saving measures, including CPR. Empress EMS responded and took the man to Garnet Health Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead,” Patch reported. Authorities are withholding the man’s identity pending notification of his next of kin.

City of Middletown Police detectives are reviewing surveillance footage and interviewing witnesses as the Orange County District Attorney’s office assists with the investigation. The clerk remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators. Anyone who witnessed the incident or has information is asked to contact Middletown Police at 845-343-3151. No cause of death or autopsy findings have been released and police have not reported any charges at this time.