On January 30, 2018, at 1:20 p.m., an unknown man impersonated an employee and robbed a small farmers market stand in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
The only solid lead police had was an amateur sketch of the suspect.
Although the sketch seemed amateurish and cartoonish, it, along with the distinctive physical descriptors, triggered the memory of an investigator who provided a potential suspect’s name.
When the witness was shown a photo of a 44-year-old Hung Phuoc Nguyen, she positively identified him as the robber.
A year later, the author of the infamous sketch was revealed to be a local freelance graphic designer Jocelyn Park.
In her 2019 interview, Park recalled that after Nguyen managed to dodge her attempts to stop him, she immediately called the police and drew a sketch based on the details she remembered following the brief encounter.
As a witness, she provided what she calls a “refined” rough draft to the police.
“It was never meant to be like the best thing in the world and you know, a realistic photograph, or a true police sketch, at all. It was just meant to jog my memory and I thought it might be helpful to someone else,” said Park.
After the sketch went public, it “exploded,” Park told the press.
“It’s not necessarily what I want to be known for, drawing the world’s worst sketch, but it’s a gift that’s been given to me,” added Park, with a laugh.
