VIDEO: Man robs Calif. store with blowtorch

GLENDALE, Calif. - Authorities are searching for a man who was caught on surveillance video using a blowtorch to rob a market in Glendale, Calif., reports CBS Los Angeles.

Security footage shows the unidentified man entering Gardenia Market and Deli on Saturday Jan. 17 in the eastern Los Angeles suburb and purchasing a cup of coffee.

Fifteen minutes later, police said, the same man appears to enter the store. This time, he was wearing a black trench coat and a beanie and was carrying a torch, reports the station.

The suspect reportedly confronted an employee of the store and then walked behind the front counter and lit the blowtorch.

The man threatened to set the employee and the store on fire if the employee didn't open the register, Raymond Cherfane, the store's owner, told CBS Los Angeles.

"Thank God nothing happened to my employee," Cherfane said. "He was safe. The way he handled it was perfect, you know? But you feel sad. You have that sadness inside of you like, 'Why this is happening?,'" Cherfane said.

The suspect made off with an undisclosed amount of cash, a bottle of vodka and other items, police said. He reportedly fled the scene in a Chevy Suburban.