Have you seen him? Man stole from, assaulted middle-school students, cops say

Authorities are looking for a man they say stole one middle-school's 14-year-old's cell phone, and assaulted another short time later.

UPDATE: Police say because of social media shares, they've identified and arrested a suspect.

According to Manchester Police, on Wednesday they were told a man had approached a 14-year-old middle-school student who was waiting for his school bus. The teen was alone at the time of the incident, police said.

He told officers he'd been at his bus stop near Cumberland Boulevard when a man approached him on a bicycle and asked to use his cell phone. The student obliged, "after which the suspect told him that he was going to take the cell phone and that if he had a problem with it, that he was going to get punched in the face," police said in a news release.

The teen didn't offer up any resistance, police said. The man rode away on what was described as a purple colored mountain bike, according to police.

Soon after, someone matching the man's description approached another middle-school teen at a bus stop in the near of Middlesex Street, police said. The man approached the teen, and asked to use his cell phone — but the second teen refused, police said.

"When the student declined, the suspect struck him several times with a closed fist," police said. "After doing so, the suspect road away on what was described as a purple colored mountain bike similar to what was described in first incident."

The second student was uninjured, and did not report the incident until he arrived at school, police said.

In both cases, the man is described as white, between the ages of 18 and 23, about 5 feet and 10 inches tall, weighing between 140 and 150 pounds. He was described as having green eyes, a pale skin tone, black hair, and black marks on the left side of his face.

H was said to be wearing a black hooded sweatshirt pulled over his head, a bandana over his face, black “pajama” style pants with a red stripe and black shoes, police said.

Nearby video surveillance captured an image of the man, police said.

Police are asking anyone with information to contact the Manchester Township Police Dispatch immediately at 732-657-6111 or Detective Adam Emmons at 732-657-2009 ext. 4203. Anonymous tips can be submitted online at manchesterpolicenj.com. Tips may also be submitted through private messages to the police department's Facebook page as well.