Xtra Mart Robber Thwarted by Power Outage

Hampton police are looking to the public for help in identifying and locating a man who unsuccessfully attempted to rob a Route 1 convenience store during Thursday night's power outage.

Lt. Dan Gidley said a man wearing a black mask and a black-and-white hooded, zip-up sweatshirt attempted to rob Xtra Mart, which was closed due to a high wind-related power outage, at about 8:10 p.m. Thursday.

The suspect, described as about 5 feet, 7 inches tall, confronted the clerk in the doorway of the store and stated he had a gun while demanding the clerk open Xtra Mart's safe, according to Gidley. Gidley said the suspect, who was also wearing black pants and dark shoes, fled along Lafayette Road (Route 1) after the clerk told him that the safe couldn't be opened due to the power outage.

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Police are still investigating the incident, which was complicated due to the fact that Hampton police were assisting multiple agencies with an armed robbery and assault in Hampton Falls at the time of the call, according to Gidley.

New Hampshire State Police and a K-9 unit helped Hampton police search the area, although the Xtra Mart suspect wasn't located Thursday night.

Gidley asked anyone with more information about the crime to contact the Hampton Police Department Criminal Investigation Division at 929-4444. Anyone with information can also anonymously contact the Crimeline for the Hamptons at 929-1222 or hamptonscrimeline@yahoo.com, cash rewards are available for information that leads to an arrest or conviction.