Bar owner who tipped off police to alleged bomber talks about chance encounter

Posted 10:53 PM, September 19, 2016, by Mario Diaz

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

LINDEN, N.J. -- A chance encounter combined with a theme by law enforcement in the tri-state for years was the formula to help lead authorities to Ahmad Khan Rahami.

Rahami, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Afghanistan, had eluded law enforcement since Saturday.

That all changed Monday morning when Harry Baines walked into his Linden bar, Merdie's Tavern on Elizabeth Avenue, and spotted a homeless person sleeping in the vestibule.

Baines approached the man and seconds after having dialogue with him, he quickly identified that something was not quite right.

PIX11 News' Mario Diaz spoke with Baines Monday evening about the day's events and his unbelievable meeting.