'I'm A Nathan's Gunman Witness'

The following first-person account was sent to Sachem Patch from an employee who was at the Nathan's/Ralphs Ices store on Grundy Avenue in Holbrook last night when it was reportedly robbed by an armed man at around 7:15 p.m. 

Patch has expunged the name of the employee for safety reasons. 

I'm not sure if you received the news yet on the robbery at the Nathan's/ Ralph's on Grundy Ave. in Holbrook.  I am actually one of the employees, 19 years old, who was working at the moment.

A blonde, short haired, slightly built, white male came into Nathan's and ordered his food, payed and sat down at the corner table of the store.

He wound up staying there for about 45 minutes to an hour.  He was very observant of how many of us were working. I was working in the Ralph's section of the store with a co-worker of mine, however we do walk back and forth between both stores and I did make eye contact with the man twice who was trying to figure out, I assume, how many of us were working.  

After the last customer that my other co-worker, had helped over in the Nathan's area of the store had left, the man, who was dressed in khaki shorts and a dark sweatshirt, went up to the register, lifted up his sweatshirt a little bit so that he could show him the gun that he had in his waistband.

He told him "Nothing personal but give me the money." [The employee] handed over all the money and ran straight over to the Ralph's section to let [us] know what had just happened.

He was very shaken up about the situation and was having a hard time even thinking straight.  The cops were called and showed up immediately and were such great help."

The employee provided the included photograph of the scene after police arrived. The employee told Patch the cashier who handed over the money doesn't believe the robber got away with more than $200 from the register. 

Police confirmed that the suspect did loiter in the restaurant for nearly an hour before he committed the crime. The investigation is ongoing and Patch will have more as this story develops.