Man allegedly robbed mall patrons to fuel Red Bull habit

A Clifton man approached people at Paramus malls over a period of several months and forced them to withdraw money from ATMs and buy him Red Bull before robbing them, police said.

Eddie Johnson, 27, of Clifton. (Paramus Police) 

PARAMUS -- A Clifton man approached people at Paramus malls over a period of several months and forced them to withdraw money from ATMs and buy him Red Bull before robbing them, police said.

Eddie J. Johnson, 27, was arrested Friday and charged with robbery, kidnapping and weapon possession.

Paramus Police said in a media release that Johnson approached people three times at borough malls. On Feb. 15, Johnson allegedly asked a woman for money in the parking lot of Blink Fitness at the Outlets at Bergen Town Center.

When she said no, Johnson forced her to drive him to an ATM to withdraw money, police said. To avoid giving Johnson money, she purposely entered a wrong PIN.

Johnson instead forced her to drive to the Pathmark in Elmwood Park and made her buy $70 worth of Red Bull with her credit card, police said. He then fled on foot.

He returned to Paramus Aug. 13, asking a man in the AMC parking lot at Westfield Garden State Plaza for money, police said. He said no.

Johnson forced the man to drive to Paterson, where he took the man's iPhone and $30 from his wallet, police said. Again, Johnson fled on foot.

Johnson approached another man Sept. 13 in the south parking lot of Garden State Plaza and asked for a ride to the other side of the mall, police said. The man agreed.

When Johnson got in the car, he pulled out a knife, police said. He allegedly forced the man to drive to two different ATMs and withdraw $60.

Johnson then forced the man to drive to the Pathmark in Elmwood Park to buy more Red Bull, but the man's credit card was declined, police said. The man instead drove to Paterson, where Johnson took his phone and fled.

Paramus detectives worked for months to identify Johnson. They were able to identify him on Friday with the help of Fair Lawn police and a surveillance video.

Clifton Police helped Detective Dmitriy Mazur arrest Johnson on Tuesday in Clifton. He was sent to Bergen County Jail on $500,000 bail.

Johnson's first court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 30.

Myles Ma may be reached at mma@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MylesMaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.