Parx thief stole, then returned casino chips

A Parx Casino patron grabbed $55,000 in chips from a gaming table Tuesday afternoon and ran out of the building, a casino spokeswoman said this evening.

Four hours later, he voluntarily returned to Parx, gave back the chips, and was arrested.

The thief, known to some of the table game operators, had been identified within minutes of stealing the chips by Pennsylvania State Police investigators, Parx spokeswoman Carrie Nork-Minnelli said.

His identity was not released Tuesday evening.

His money grab was simply a reach across one of the gaming tables at about 3:30 p.m., Nork-Minelli said. He then fled one of the Bensalem casino's two entrances.

She said the only way he could get rid of the chips at this point would be to sell them to other people since he won't be able to walk back into Parx for the foreseeable future.