Supermarket clerk allegedly brandished machete at customer who did not want to pay for plastic shopping bag
01/29/2026 2:57 pm PST
BRIDGETON, N.J. (TCN) -- An argument over the charge for a plastic shopping bag ended with a supermarket clerk allegedly brandishing a machete at a customer.
NJ.com reports that on Jan. 27, police responded to the Cottage Market for a harassment complaint. According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by the outlet, a customer who had reportedly paid for a shopping bag asked for the purchases to be double-bagged to ensure it would not rip as she walked home.
The clerk, 29-year-old Melvin F. Rodriguez-Duran, declined the request, and the customer reportedly told him she would have her family members come to the store to hurt him. Rodriguez-Duran then allegedly came out from behind the counter holding a machete and told the customer and the woman with her to leave his business. The customers were unhurt.
Officers viewed surveillance footage of the incident, and Rodriguez-Duran, whose name was released by Patch.com, was charged with third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon. He was released on his own recognizance and will appear in court in March.
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