Man Who Robbed 7-Eleven Returned To Store Hours Later, Cops Say

A man who robbed a 7-Eleven and then returned hours later has been arrested and charged, according to authorities.

Peter Budzak, a Middletown resident who turns 32 next week, was charged Sunday with two counts of robbery and single counts of theft, terroristic threats, possession of an instrument of crime with intent, and simple assault.

Middletown officers were called to the 7-Eleven at the corner of Veterans Highway and New Falls Road around 1:30 a.m. Sunday for a report of an armed robbery.

Police said the clerk told them a man entered the store, displayed a sharp object, and ordered the clerk to hand him a pack of Marlboro Red’s, threatening to slit his throat if he had to ask again. The clerk allegedly handed over the cigarettes and the suspect fled in a newer pickup truck.

Around 8:40 a.m., the suspect – later identified as Budzak- returned to the 7-Eleven and placed RedLine energy drinks on the counter, stating “these are free.” He also asked the clerk, the same one who was robbed earlier in the morning, to give him cigarettes. The suspect further stated, “these are free, too,” according to court papers.

Officers ended up spotting Budzak in his vehicle at the nearby Racquet Club Apartments, and the convenience store clerk identified him as the robber and man who returned hours later, police said.

Budzak admitted to investigators he went to the store Sunday morning. He added that he brandished a screwdriver, police said.

Budzak was arraigned before on-call District Judge Mark Douple and sent to the Bucks County Correctional Facility on 10 percent of $10,000 bail.

The arrest of the 31-year-old Middletown man comes following a spree of 7-Eleven robberies in the area that have been perpetrated by multiple suspects. A failed robbery of the 7-Eleven in Langhorne Borough led to a police officer assigned to an FBI task force shooting the suspect, who survived.

Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.