Neighbors remember an 'incredible man'

From DN reporter Jan Ransom:

Neighbors of William Glatz remained in a state of shock Friday, a day after their friend was gunned down by an escaped prison inmate during a failed robbery of his Northeast Philadelphia jewelry store.

"I fished with him every Monday," said Gerry Blinebury, 50, who lived next door to Glatz on Brook Drive in Holland, Bucks County. "He was an incredible man. I was lucky to have known him."

Blinebury broke down, his eyes glossy, as he stared at photos of fishing trips with Glatz at Barnegat Bay in New Jersey.

"It's hit this community pretty hard," he said. "The community has lost a great guy."

Margaret Krystofolski, 62, said that Glatz wanted to stop running his store in the Northeast,  but he didn't want to let his workers go. He had also opened a store in Jamison, Bucks County, run by his wife.

"The thing that's sad is he never had a chance to retire and grow old with his family," Krystofolski said.

Neighbors said Glatz enjoyed the outdoors. He was often seen tending to his front yard or in the back feeding the deer that often paid his home a visit.

Yesterday the deer roamed his back yard and seemed to hang around, waiting.