UPDATE: Suspect arrested in crossbow attack at N.J. pet store
A woman was shot in the face with a crossbow Monday night at the same Bergen County store where an African grey parrot valued at $7,000 was stolen on Jan. 23.
But the two bizarre crimes had nothing to do with each other, the victim told NJ Advance Media.
The store’s owner, who is recovering from the crossbow shot to her face, said the shooting was unrelated to the earlier alleged parrot theft by a Passaic County man who was charged with the crime last month.
The owner told NJ Advance Media she was shot in the face Monday evening by “a regular customer” as she worked in her store, Birds by Joe 2, in Saddle Brook.
“He’s a repeat customer. He shot me without any warning,” the woman said. “He didn’t say anything.”
The owner said the man came into the store and began mumbling to himself.
“When I got close to him I saw the crossbow and he shot me in the face with the arrow,” she said.
The woman was taken to a local hospital in stable condition and was later released. She was back at work on Tuesday but declined to discuss the shooting incident in detail.
Saddle Brook police responded to the exotic bird shop on Route 46 East shortly before 6 p.m. Monday on a report of a shooting.
The shooter fled before police arrived, and members of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office were called to investigate.
Birds by Joe 2 was in the news last month when a man walked into the store, engaged the woman in conversation and ran off with a cage containing an African grey parrot.
The bird was later found safe in Paterson and the man was charged with theft.
Stories by Anthony G. Attrino
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Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.