Marshalls department store at the Riverview Drive location in Totowa in 2015. Marshalls in Totowa
A shopping trip in northern New Jersey turned violent last week when police say a 25-year-old woman bought a set of knives at a Marshalls and then used one to stab another customer — all because she thought the woman was taking too long at the checkout line.
No One Likes To Wait In Line
Knives stick to a magnetic strip on the wall in the kitchen area where cooking classes are held at The Cookery in Morton.
Authorities in Kearny said Amber Johnson became agitated while waiting to pay for her items on Oct. 11. According to witnesses, she berated another customer for moving too slowly, threatened to hurt her, and stormed off toward the home goods aisle. Moments later, she allegedly returned to the register with a package of kitchen knives, paid for them, and followed the woman into the parking lot. As the victim walked to her car with her family, police say Johnson chased her down and stabbed her multiple times. The attack, which took place in broad daylight outside the busy retail plaza, sent shoppers running for safety.
Thankfully No One Died
Officers responding to 911 calls found the victim bleeding but conscious. She was transported to a nearby hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Johnson fled back into the store where police later found her hiding in a bathroom stall. They recovered a bloody knife on a nearby changing table. Johnson was arrested and charged with aggravated assault and several related offenses. She remains in custody.
Marshall’s Isn’t Happy About The Incident
“This was a deeply unsettling incident in a public place where people should feel safe,” a department spokesperson said. A Marshalls spokesperson confirmed the altercation in a statement, saying the company was “aware of the incident that occurred in the parking lot outside our store last week.” The company added, “At Marshalls, the safety and security of our associates and customers is important to us, and we’re grateful for the swift response of the Kearny Police Department.”
Shoppers Are Nervous
A shopper enters a Marshalls store at the Deptford Crossing shopping center in a November 2018 file photo. Marshalls in Deptford
Though the victim is expected to recover, the stabbing has rattled shoppers in Kearny, a working-class community just west of New York City. Police have not said whether Johnson and the victim knew each other, but investigators believe the incident was spontaneous — the result of anger boiling over in a moment of impatience.
