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Left: Jason Hay (GoFundMe). Right: Three people try to help Hay after he had a heart attack at the liquor store where he worked. The man with the red hood allegedly stole $800 from the store (KPTV).
Police in Portland, Oregon, are on the hunt for a suspect who brazenly stole from a liquor store while the clerk was suffering a heart attack, neglecting to assist the ailing employee.
The incident occurred on October 25 at approximately 6:15 p.m., according to the Portland Police Bureau. During the medical emergency at Bins & Barrels, the suspect took advantage of the situation, slipping behind the counter to grab cash from both the employee and the store’s office before making a swift getaway.
“This seems to be a standalone incident rather than part of a series of crimes,” stated Mike Benner, the bureau’s public information officer, during an interview with Law&Crime. He described it as a blatant case of seizing an opportunity.
The employee, identified by colleagues as 53-year-old Jason Hay, was transported to the hospital but sadly passed away about a week later.
Hay had been a part of the Bins & Barrels team for roughly a year, his co-workers said, remembering him fondly.
“He made an effort to know every single person”s name who walked through that door,” a store employee said at a vigil on Monday, according to local Fox affiliate KPTV.
Bins & Barrels manager Michelle Maurer told local NBC affiliate KGW that the suspect stole some $800 while acting like a good Samaritan who was trying to help Hay.
“During this time, several good Samaritans came in and tried to help out. Unfortunately, one man came in and acted like he was trying to help, even took Jason’s pulse, when it was obvious he was patting Jason down to find his wallet,” Maurer said.
Surveillance video reportedly showed the man walk into the back office as others were frantically trying to save Hay’s life.
“He discovered that our change safe was open, and grabbed the bank bags and shoved them down the front of his pants,” Maurer told KGW.
Hay leaves behind a wife and a 15-year-old son and spent the majority of his life in Portland. A GoFundMe account is raising funds for his family as he was the sole provider.
“He was a light in this community and I hope everyone pays it forward like he would every day,” his sister Jessica Jones said at the vigil per KPTV.
Jones said Hay probably knew the man that stole from him.
“That’s the heartbreaking part is it was somebody that he knew. Somebody he trusted,” she said.
Anyone with information on the suspect can contact [email protected] and reference case number 25-259043.