Police say masked man failed in armed robbery attempts in Haverhill, Ipswich

By Jaclyn Reiss, Globe Correspondent

An armed, masked robber tried to steal money from businesses in Ipswich and Haverhill Saturday night, but was unsuccesful in both attempts, police said.

Police in the two towns could not say if the same person was involved in the two incidents, but both described the perpetrator as wearing a black mask, a black hooded sweatshirt, and dark-colored pants.

In the first incident, a man tried to rob the Peking Garden Chinese Restaurant in Haverhill just after 6 p.m., brandishing a gun inside the eatery and demanding cash, police said. A restaurant worker slipped out the back door and called the police from a neighboring restaurant, said Haverhill Police Lieutenant Joseph Florent.

“Nobody was hurt, and he didn’t get any money or anything,” Florent said.

In the second incident, a man attempted to rob the Prime Energy gasoline station on Lord Square in Ipswich around 9 p.m., according to Ipswich Police Sergeant Jonathan Hubbard.

“He showed a firearm to the gas station, but then took off,” Hubbard said.

Hubbard said the department is still investigating the incident.