GLOUCESTER TWP., New Jersey (WPVI) – Police are searching for two men who allegedly passed counterfeit $20 bills at a pizza shop in Camden County.
The incident occurred at Gallery Pizza on Erial Road in Gloucester Township, New Jersey, in May. Since then, other stores in the region have reported similar incidents involving fake bills.
“We have had five or six other similar incidents with $20 bills, $100 bills. We’re looking into the possibility of them being related,” stated Lt. Paul Fisher of the Gloucester Township police.
The owner of Gallery Pizza recounted that an employee noticed something was off when a suspect in a black hoodie paid for a slice of pizza. The bills felt unusual.
When a second suspect attempted the same tactic, the employee checked the bills more closely.
“The store employee marked the bill and saw it was fake, so she refused service to the second gentleman,” Lt. Fisher explained.
Both men left the scene together in a gray minivan with New Jersey tags.
This incident is part of a broader issue, with two other reports of counterfeit bills emerging from Chester County, Pennsylvania. On July 1, police in West Chester reported that two men passed fake bills at a CVS. Additionally, on May 30, two men used a counterfeit $100 bill at a Star Gas and Diesel in Kenneth Square.
Authorities do not believe the incidents in New Jersey and Pennsylvania are connected. However, they are advising store owners to remain vigilant against counterfeit money.
“I would absolutely check all bills. Especially $20 and up,” urged Lt. Fisher.