Norwood Robbers Lock Up Victims, Flee With $130-July 13, 1974

In a harrowing incident that unfolded shortly before 5:00 p.m. on July 12, 1974, two armed robbers targeted the Boch Subaru dealership located on Route 1 in Norwood. According to police reports, the suspects entered the building under the guise of inquiring about car sales. Carl Holghauer, a resident of Bridgewater, informed the men that the facility functioned as a distributor rather than a retail dealership. As he turned to return to his office, one of the robbers brandished a .38 caliber pistol with a six-inch barrel, pointed it at his head, and commanded him to “turn around and freeze.”

The gunmen then proceeded to round up Holghauer’s son, Fred, and a salesman, Richard Joyce of 104 East St., Foxboro, forcing all three men into an office. When the assailants demanded that the elder Holghauer open the dealership’s safe, he stated that he did not know how. The robbers then turned their attention to the victims’ personal belongings, stealing wallets containing approximately $130 in total—specifically $80 from Joyce, between $20 and $30 from Carl Holghauer, and $1 from the younger Holghauer—along with their drivers’ licenses and personal papers.

Before fleeing the scene, the robbers escalated their control of the situation by locking Fred Holghauer and Richard Joyce in a washroom, while forcing Carl Holghauer into the trunk of a Subaru vehicle. As soon as the suspects left the premises, the elder Holghauer managed to open the trunk from the inside and immediately contacted the Norwood police. An investigation into the armed robbery was launched, though the suspects remained at large following the daring afternoon heist.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger