New Jersey man arrested for allegedly threatening deli workers with samurai sword

LOWER TOWNSHIP, N.J., April 17 (UPI) -- A New Jersey man who walked into a deli in Lower Township and allegedly threatened workers with a samurai sword has been taken into custody.

The incident started when Ryan Crump walked into American Deli with his sword and demanded that store employees give back his cellphone.

"I thought we were going to get killed. He said he was going to slice all of us up," deli employee Lee DeBiase told NBC 40. "He told us he was going to jump across the counter and that we better find his cellphone fast."

When the cellphone didn’t appear, Crump brought out the sword.

"He took it out like he thought he was a samurai master. He started pointing it at everybody and swinging it around. He came pretty close to our faces and everything," said American employee Mike Houseman. "I thought he was going to cut my face open with it.”

"Another inch or so, Mike wouldn't have an eye or a nose," added deli worker David Valley.

Someone called 911 and Lower Township Police arrived on the scene. Crump was arrested and charged with three counts of aggravated assault, terrorist threats and other weapons offenses.

Luckily no on was injured.

"When you look down at the blade of a samurai, your whole life changes," DeBiase said.

[NBC 40]