Pokemon players in Linden robbed and scared off by gunfire, police say

LINDEN — A man and woman on a Pokemon hunt in this Union County city were robbed on Wednesday night.

Police Captain James Sarnicki said a 33-year-old man and 24-year-old woman were sitting in a car on Lucien Place when a man pointed a handgun at them and demanded they hand over their cellphones and wallets. The man got into another SUV with two other people already inside. The victims followed the SUV trying to get a license plate, according to Sarnicki.

As they drove on Fernwood Terrace the two heard three gunshots from the SUV and they broke off the chase. They flagged down a Cranford police officer who contacted Linden police.

Sarnicki said the suspect was wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and dark pants.

Since its introduction in July Pokemon Go has the most popular app ever with millions of downloads. The game creates an augmented reality in which players hunt down Pokemon to collect points. Concern has increased that players are oblivious to their surroundings and are prone to creating dangerous situations for themselves.

West Windsor Police Lt. Robert Garofalo, in issuing a warning about the game, said players should use their heads in their hunt: “Don’t do anything that you normally would think is bad. Normally you wouldn’t go to a deserted alley at 3 a.m. That shouldn’t change just because an app said you should.”

The game also added 3 different warnings during a recent update to the game about not trespassing on private property, being aware of one's surroundings and not playing when driving.

Sarnicki asked anyone with information about the incident to contact Linden Police at 908-474-8537.

The NYPD issued safety tips for playing Pokemon Go:

• Be alert at all times
• Stay aware of your surroundings
• Play in pairs or as a group to ensure your safety
• Do not drive or ride your bike, skateboard, or other device while interacting with the app…you can’t do both safety
• Do not trespass onto private property or go to areas you usually would not if you weren’t playing Pokémon Go
• Be aware and tell your kids about “stranger-danger”. The app may draw strangers together in real life at ‘Pokéstops’
• Parents – be aware of 3rd party software apps claiming to enhance the gaming experience however, these 3rd party apps only gives access to sensitive data – i.e. name, email, calendar
• Have fun AND stay safe. Good luck in your quest, and happy hatching, trapping, and training at the Pokémon Gym!