A New Jersey gas station clerk was arrested for pointing a fake gun at a man he suspected of shoplifting and then making him strip naked, police said.
Amit Saraswat, 42, was taken into custody Wednesday in connection with an incident at the Sunoco Gas Station in Salem. Surveillance video inside the store shows the man standing with his hands in the air as Saraswat, who is behind the counter, points a gun at him.
The two appear to exchange words and at one point Saraswat leans across the counter and thrusts the weapon toward the man.
The man then takes his T-shirt off and drops it on the ground and then removes his pants. Saraswat walks around the counter and continues to point the gun at the man, who bends down and takes his boxers off.
Salem police Chief John A. Pelura III told NBC News in a statement that the weapon Saraswat used was later found to be an “Airsoft type handgun” and was not real. He said the man, whom authorities are not naming, left the store but eventually came back to get his clothes after he realized the clerk had a fake gun.
According to Pelura, store personnel said the man had been caught several times shoplifting from the store. NBC Philadelphia reported that police have not confirmed if the man did steal anything from the store.
The incident was reported to police Monday night, Pelura said. Saraswat was charged with aggravated assault, unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose and terroristic threats. He has since been released from jail.
