West Orange NJ police are looking for suspects in a violent robbery of a Pennsylvania man at a local mall parking lot. The theft incident was precipitated by an online sale through Craigslist.

According to authorities, the victim sold jewelry and other items over the Internet on Craigslist. After making a deal to sell jewelry to an online buyer, the victim agreed to meet the purchaser at the Essex Green Shopping Center in West Orange, New Jersey.

When the victim arrived at the West Orange shopping center, he encountered a man and a woman. The two buyers took a close look at the jewelry items and then reportedly refused to buy the jewelry. The male suspect then allegedly assaulted the victim by grabbing him and dragging him along the ground. As this was happened, the female suspect allegedly stole the jewelry items.

The victim is a 42-year-old male from Pennsylvania. He sustained only minor injuries in the violent attack. He later refused any medical treatment from emergency medical responders at the scene of the robbery.

West Orange New Jersey police are asking local residents who agree to meet after arranging sales through Craigslist to complete the in-person transactions in a “safe exchange zone.” These spaces are provided by local law enforcement and often include video cameras for surveillance. In fact, a directive issued by the West Orange Police Department lets residents know that parking lots and lobbies at the local police headquarters, and also at a couple of police substations, can be used as “a meeting place for in-person transactions to occur.”

For more information about this case, read the NJ.com article, “Man Dragged, Robbed in Craigslist Sale Gone Bad, Officials Say.”