Father and son card vendors robbed at gunpoint in New Jersey; suspects make off with $150,000 USD of Pokémon cards

At about 4:30 PM on June 28th, a father-and-son team of vendors at the Woodbridge Card Show in Woodbridge, New Jersey were packing up their merchandise when approached by two men. The assailants physically assaulted the younger man and threatened both at gunpoint, eventually making off with $150,000 USD worth of Pokémon cards and $12,000 USD cash. The suspects fled, and Woodbridge police are currently investigating the incident.

The robbery occurred in the parking lot of the APA Hotel, where the card show was taking place. Police state that the 27-year-old man and his 69-year-old father were approached by two men in a white BMW SUV while packing their cards from the show. The perpetrators punched the younger man in the face, knocking him to the ground. A short physical struggle ensued, but ended when “threats with the firearm intensified,” report Woodbridge police. The SUV fled towards a nearby highway, taking with them the collection of cards in a gray briefcase and the cash in a green crossbody bag.

The Woodbridge Card Show has been hosting events for several years, with the one taking place on June 28th being quite large, featuring more than 100 tables of vendors. The organizer of the show is taking criticism from fans and organizers of similar local events for an apparent lack of security precautions. “You’ve been running shows for years. Choosing to hire security only after someone’s life was put in jeopardy is an incredibly reckless decision as an organizer,” commented the owner of the nearby Liquid Games Pokémon Market. The Woodbridge Card Show states via Instagram that they will continue hosting shows in the venue, and intend to hire private security or local police for future dates.

Pokémon TCG theft, especially violent theft, is less common on a person-to-person level, and more commonly occurs as theft of a business, such as the high-profile armed robbery of a shop in NYC. The investigation of this robbery is still ongoing, and Woodbridge police are asking anyone with information to contact them.

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