"This guy's got to get put away:" Business owners frustrated by man passing counterfeit cash
MILWAUKEE -- Business owners in Milwaukee's Walker's Point neighborhood are sounding the alarm about a man repeatedly using counterfeit bills and asking for large amounts of change. One bar owner is posting the man's picture on social media, hoping he'll be caught.
The Bottle in Walker's Point
"Exact same bill that he tried passing here, he passed and got away with it right up the street," said Tony Wojtecki, co-owner of The Bottle.
Wojtecki said he has spoken with several other businesses in the area that were also targeted by the man.
"This guy's got to get put away," Wojtecki said.
Wojtecki is now leading that chase himself, after the man tried to hit his bar for a second time on Monday evening, January 18th. He told FOX6 News the man and a friend had stopped in back in November.
"He kept on asking for change for these $20 bills. I unfortunately wasn't here at the time," said Wojtecki.
After bar staff gave him change, they learned the bills were fake. Wojtecki pulled security camera footage and told his employees to keep an eye out in case the counterfeiter returned. On Monday night, he did.
"Walked in, sat down right next to where I was serving and real fast he was like, asked me to get him a Miller Lite," said Jennifer Heinen, co-owner of The Bottle.
The Bottle in Walker's Point
The time, the man tried paying with a fake $100 bill.
"I then went back and confronted the guy and asked him if he knew he was passing fake hundreds, which he then completely denied," said Heinen.
While Wojtecki was on the phone with police, the man took off in a vehicle that had no license plates. But not before Wojtecki snapped a picture that he is now sharing on social media. FOX6 News blurred the man's face because police have not officially identified him as a suspect.
Suspect passing counterfeit bills
"We work really hard for, you know, everything that we got and for this guy to basically come in and rob you, you know?" Wojtecki said.
Milwaukee police say they are working to identify the man -- and are investigating his involvement in this latest incident.
The Bottle in Walker's Point