The owner of an exotic bird store in New Jersey was shot in the face by a crossbow-wielding suspect just weeks after a $7,000 parrot was stolen from the same shop, police said.
The incident unfolded Monday evening at Bird’s by Joe 2, located along Route 46 East in Saddle Brook, NBC New York reported.
Authorities responded to the shop just before 6 p.m. after they received a 911 call about the grisly attack, according to a joint press release from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and the Saddle Brook Police Department. When officers arrived on the scene, they discovered the wounded owner and rushed her to a nearby hospital, where she was listed in stable condition as of Tuesday.
Police provided few other details about the violence at Bird’s by Joe 2, a sister store of Bird’s by Joe in Green Brook Township. Authorities said the suspect fled before they arrived, but did not offer any other information. It’s not clear whether the woman knew her attacker, nor if police have any leads.
The victim was identified by only her first name, Katarina, in a Facebook post shared by Bird’s by Joe, which also announced the temporary closure of Bird’s by Joe 2.
“Katarina is recovering and investigations are underway,” it said. “Will update soon.”
The crossbow attack at Bird’s by Joe 2 comes just weeks after an African parrot was taken from the same store. Police said the suspect, later identified as Onyx Calderon, showed up at the store on Jan. 29 and requested to see the rare bird, so the owner brought the parrot out in a smaller cage for his viewing purposes.
Surveillance video later shared online shows a man in a dark-colored Nike sweatshirt flashing a small smirk before snatching the cage and dashing out the door.
Authorities eventually located the bird in Paterson, and it was returned unharmed. They are, however, still searching for Calderon, who’s wanted on a theft charge.
It was not immediately clear if the two incidents were related.
