Chef "souffles" bank robber.

On last July 13, Alex Garcia, a manager-chef at a Newark, New Jersey, restaurant, was in the City National Bank when he saw a man brandishing a pair of broken scissors threatening to rob a woman of a bag of money. The bank customer, Rosemarie Scavone, was bringing the cash from her job to deposit in the bank.

Garcia chased and tackled the robber, who then attacked Garcia with his scissors. But Garcia's actions had delayed the man sufficiently for police officers to arrive on the scene and arrest the suspect. Police also seized all of the stolen money, about $1,000.

By happenstance Newark's mayor, Cory Booker, was at the same bank that day, and he witnessed the attempted robbery. It was especially fitting, therefore, that Mr. Booker presided over a ceremony in Garcia's honor. During the ceremony, reported by the Vailsburg (New Jersey) Leader, Booker described Garcia as a "courageous and humble" man who "stepped up in the face of danger, and did not hesitate to put himself in danger. He sent a message to the entire city that we will not tolerate criminal behavior."

City National Bank President Louis E. Prezeau presented Garcia with a $500 check, as a token of the bank's appreciation. "We are thankful to Alex," said Prezeau. "We hope he and his family will be longtime customers."

Garcia, after accepting the proclamation and check, told the press, "At first I was a little scared when that happened. When I think back about it, I know it was the right thing to do."