The theft, which was caught on video, occurred Sunday afternoon at the Hibachi Grill & Buffet restaurant on Route 46, police said. Watch video
SADDLE BROOK - Police are looking for a woman who appears to have urged a child to steal a cellphone that had been dropped on the floor inside a local restaurant, authorities said on Tuesday.
The crime was caught on a restaurant security camera, according to police.
"This is how we catch people," said Detective Capt. Vincent Laurentino of the Saddle Brook Police Department.
"We're going with the assumption that these are family members and that the adult female tells the child to steal the phone," Laurentino said.
The incident occurred Sunday afternoon at the Hibachi Grill & Buffet restaurant on Route 46, Laurentino said.
The $600 cellphone belonged to a person sitting with family members on a bench. The cellphone fell from the person's lap when they stood and was unnoticed on the floor until after the suspects spotted it and after the victim left the area, Laurentino said.
In the video, a woman appears to urge a child to pick up the phone before the two leave the restaurant. The boy casts a nervous glance over his shoulder as he exits with the phone.
"The right thing to do would have been to bring the cellphone to the cashier or business manager and tell them you found it," Laurentino said. "The right thing didn't occur here."
The boy who picked up the phone is about 11-13 years old, wearing a yellow/blue jacket and blue jeans. The woman was Hispanic, 20 to 30 years old, wearing a black coat and dark jeans, and about 5-feet, 1-inch tall, police said. They appear to have been in the company of a man described as Hispanic and wearing a black coat and dark jeans, between 5-feet, 4-inches and 5-feet, 5-inches tall.
Laurentino said one or more of the suspects could be charged with theft of property.
Anyone with information is asked to call Saddle Brook police at 201-843-7000.
Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.