STROUD TOWNSHIP -- Police need your help to find two men who they say pistol-whipped a mentally challenged man near Stroudsburg in the middle of the afternoon Tuesday.
Effie Avdala is a hostess at Triplet's Diner outside Stroudsburg. She is also one of the people who called 911 after one of her favorite customers walked into the diner and told her he had been beaten by a pair of men.
"He's a very sweet guy. He doesn't hurt anyone, he's polite, but it's horrible what they did to him. Very horrible," said Avdala.
Police say Jeremy Stoeckel of Stroudsburg was walking along West Main Street when he was attacked.
Police say around 4:00 p.m. Tuesday, in broad daylight, Jeremy was walking underneath an overpass when two men approached him and said, "Give me your bag, or I'll kill you."
Police say one of the men had a gun and pistol-whipped Jeremy, who fell to the ground and hurt his wrist.
The two men drove off in a two-door white Volkswagen.
Jeremy walked about a block to Triplet's Diner for help.
"I just got into the diner, he walks in, usually every day to get a glass of water. So he walks in and my waitress, she goes, 'Here you go Jeremy, here's the glass of water'. He says, 'Look, look', and he had blood in his mouth," said Avdala.
Effie says Jeremy then explained how two men hit him.
When police were called, Jeremy gave them a good description of his attackers.
One man was about 6 feet tall, wearing a green shirt, blue short sleeves, jean shorts.
The other man had black hair, and wore a grey sleeveless shirt with words and a weightlifting insignia.
"This particular victim, he's a vulnerable member of society. There are some mental challenges. He's a walking victim, essentially," said Captain Brian Kimmins of the Stroud Area Regional Police Department.
Now police hope anyone with information about the assault will come forward.