Caught On Tape: Seton Hall Student Robbed At Gunpoint

SOUTH ORANGE (CBS 2) -- Police in South Orange are on the lookout for a gunman who held up a Seton Hall student, and unlike most crimes, the entire incident was caught on camera.

CBS 2's Sean Hennessey spoke to the victim, who thought he was safe just steps from his home.

He was heading home with a sandwich and, it turns out, with trouble following him.

"Somebody yelled, 'hey man,'" he said.

The Seton Hall University grad student, who didn't wish to be identified, was held up steps from the sanctuary of his off-campus apartment building.

"When he said 'give me your money,' I turned around and I was like, 'are you serious?'" he said. "Then I saw his gun, and I said, 'are you serious?'"

The suspect was serious, and made sure his gun conveyed the message.

"I was definitely scared that he had a weapon on him, a gun on him, and of course I had no idea what his intentions were," the victim said.

He emptied his wallet, all $10, and it wasn't enough for the man robbing him.

"I showed him my wallet – I was like, 'hey man, this is all I have, seriously, look,'" he said.

The robber inspected the wallet, realized there was no more cash, looked around and then took off. Just seconds after the hold-up began, it was over.

"I was pretty shaken up," the student said.

As he tries to focus on finals, South Orange police are focusing on the critical evidence - the entire crime caught on video, thanks to the apartment's surveillance cameras.

"We don't get video like this almost ever," South Orange Police Detective Brian McGuire said. "I think if somebody knows him, they would recognize him."

With his health intact, the victim recognizes his good fortune, all things considered.

"I do feel lucky," he said. [There] definitely could have been a much different outcome."

He hopes others learn a lesson from the incident – that even if you think you're secure in familiar surroundings, like he thought he was, it doesn't hurt to look around.

Police say that so far, the suspect is only believed to be behind this one hold-up.