A would-be robber left the Long John Silver’s restaurant on Union Boulevard empty-handed after he mistook a customer for an employee on Saturday night and demanded that she open the store safe, according to Bethlehem police.

Store employees ran away while he was engaged with the customer, police said. The customer ran away while the man, armed with a handgun, got distracted looking for an employee of the restaurant at 2185 W. Union Boulevard, police said.

The unsuccessful culprit then ran away with nothing but his gun, shortly before 9 p.m., police said.