A New Jersey teenager fended off a man armed with a knife who tried to rob him on Monday afternoon by spraying the bandit in the face with a power washer, authorities said.

The teen was in his driveway in Absecon at about 2:45 p.m. when the robber approached him with a closed folding pocket knife, police said in a statement.

The robber then fled through neighboring yards west towards Ritz Drive after getting a face full of water.

Police said he was wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt, black gloves and dark colored long shorts or pants. He is white, about 5-foot-10 with a medium build and in his early 20s.

Someone spotted a man matching his description at 6 p.m. Monday in the area of Field of Dreams off of 10th Avenue.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 609-641-0667.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.