'I had to get my money back'; Holdup victim finds his cash on riverbank.

AuthorAllen, Samantha
PositionLocal

Byline: Samantha Allen

FITCHBURG -- The owner of a Chinese restaurant that was robbed Monday says he has found his missing money hidden under some rocks along the Nashua River, where the fleeing suspect jumped 20 feet down the riverbank.

Chen He, owner of the Cheng Du restaurant, said he was beside himself after a man came in with his faced covered and indicated he had a weapon around 9 p.m. Monday night. Mr. He handed over cash -- about $300 -- to the robber and watched him run away. Mr. He said he ran after him, about 4 feet behind.

The Cheng Du is a small operation, run just by Mr. He and a friend. He said the money meant a lot to him and his business.

"I had to get my money back,'' he said.

After chasing the man down to the river, behind his location at 310 Main St., Mr. He said, he watched the suspect -- later identified by police as Joshua Raftery, 25, of Fitchburg -- leap down 20 feet toward the Nashua River. Mr. Raftery reportedly landed on the rocks and broke at least one of his ankles.

Police and firefighters arrived after Mr. He, 39, called to report he had the suspect in his sight and was watching over him from street level. The Fitchburg Fire Department lowered a rescue basket to lift Mr. Raftery to the street, and he was taken to a UMass Memorial Medical Center site in Worcester for surgery. He was charged with armed robbery while masked and larceny of more than $250 and also faces a fugitive-from-justice charge from an out-of-state warrant.

Mr. He said...

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