Trio accused of splash-grab
robbery at S. Jersey store

By William Kenny
Times Staff Writer

Police in New Jersey have arrested three men who allegedly committed a "splash-and-grab" robbery at a Voorhees convenience store last month. One of the bandits is also suspected of committing a similar crime in Philadelphia.
Investigators have yet to link any of the three suspects to the remainder of 19 similar heists that occurred between Feb. 7 and 22 on both sides of the Delaware River and in Northern Delaware.
Kareem A. Hutt, 26, of Woodlynne, N.J., has been charged with the Feb. 12 robbery of a Voorhees Wawa and is wanted by Philadelphia authorities for robbing a South Columbus Boulevard Wawa on Feb. 13.
In all 19 incidents, the bandits splashed hot coffee or cocoa onto store clerks as a diversion before grabbing cash from the registers and fleeing, police say. Several clerks have suffered burns and other injuries.
U.S. marshals arrested Hutt on Feb. 27 after they stopped his car at about 2 p.m. along Route 30 in Audubon, police said.
The suspect reportedly drove a burgundy Nissan Altima matching descriptions of a getaway vehicle given to investigators by witnesses to some of the crimes.
A woman and young child reportedly accompanied Hutt in the car at the time of his arrest.
Hutt is being held in Camden County Correctional Facility in lieu of $50,000 bail.
On Friday, police charged two more men in connection with the Feb. 12 robbery in Voorhees. They are David Smith, 18, of Camden, and Jeffrey W. Byrd, 25, of Woodlynne.
Investigators have described Hutt as the ringleader. It is unknown if others participated in any of the crimes.
Three of the incidents occurred in Philadelphia, including one in an East Frankford 7-Eleven, at Harbison Avenue and Tulip Street, on Feb. 10. The robbers also struck a 7-Eleven at Mascher and Loudon streets in Feltonville and the aforementioned Wawa at Columbus Boulevard and Tasker Street.
More than a half-dozen of the crimes were in New Jersey, with about five in Delaware County and others in Levittown, Bucks County, and Wilmington.
Law enforcement officials from jurisdictions throughout the region have teamed on the investigation, headed by Philadelphia’s major crimes unit.
Most of the crimes have occurred late at night and early in the morning, with the bandits escaping with cash amounts ranging from $50 to $300.
The East Frankford job happened at about 5 a.m. One of the crooks threw hot cocoa at the clerk, a young man whom store officials have ordered not to speak to the news media.
According to a store manager, the clerk returned to work on Feb. 23, 13 days after the robbery.
The involvement, if any, of Hutt, Smith and Byrd in that crime is unknown. All three men have been charged with aggravated assault and robbery in connection with the Feb. 12 holdup.
The Philadelphia warrant on Hutt lists single counts of robbery, theft, reckless endangerment and related offenses stemming from the Feb. 13 heist at the Columbus Boulevard Wawa. ••
Reporter William Kenny can be reached at 215-354-3031 or bkenny@phillynews.com