A masked man armed with a knife forced his way into a woman's hotel room at the La Quinta Inn on River Road early Saturday, Aug. 8, stealing her jewelry and cell phone before fleeing into the night.

Andover police responded shortly after 1 a.m. and established a perimeter around the hotel, deploying a K-9 team and aerial drone to search the area, according to Andover News. The search lasted more than an hour but officers did not locate the suspect before clearing the scene.

The woman was not injured.

Andover Police Lt. Frank Fitzpatrick said the victim was in the hallway outside her room when the suspect approached from behind. She tried to get inside and close the door, but the man forced his way in. He demanded money, and when the woman said she had none, he searched the room before taking the jewelry and her cell phone and fleeing in an unknown direction.

"Indications are that the suspect targeted this female victim for the robbery and as such, there is not believed to be any additional threat to the public at this time," Fitzpatrick said in an email to Andover News.

Police did not explain why they believe the robbery was targeted or whether the suspect and victim knew each other.

The suspect is described as a Black man, approximately 5-foot-6 to 5-foot-7, medium build, wearing all black and a face covering.

Detectives have been assigned to process the scene and review the hotel's surveillance footage. No arrest had been made as of Saturday, Aug. 8.

Andover reported one robbery in the first quarter of 2026, with one arrest, compared to zero robberies during the same period in 2025, according to department statistics.

Anyone with information about the incident can contact Andover police at 978-623-3500.