Nassau Gas Station Bandit Strikes Again

The notorious gas station bandit responsible for eight early-morning robberies last week has struck again and Nassau County Police say a manhunt is underway to find him.

Dressed in black and brandishing a black hand gun, the unknown man walked into the Citgo Gas Station on Jericho Turnpike in Mineola at 4:10 a.m. Sunday and demanded cash and cigarettes.

The 24-year-old male victim behind the counter complied and the gunman fled on foot along Jericho Turnpike, police said Monday.

There were no injuries. It was the ninth gas station heist since Tuesday.

"We are actively looking for this individual," said Officer Steven Zacchia, a spokesman for the Nassau County Police. "Everybody is looking and we've intensified our patrols around gas stations."

At this time, Zacchia said there is no available surveillance photos or video of the suspect. Robbery Squad Detectives are working a variety of leads, police said.

Nassau detectives believe the suspect in the Easter Sunday heist is the same man who struck eight Long Island gas stations last week, his features concealed and his attacks timed to the 3-4 a.m. hour.

Again Sunday, the bandit made off with an undetermined amount of cash and his smokes, detectives said. Zacchia said it is part of the same pattern of robberies.

The pattern became apparent on Friday, when three robberies took place in a 20-minute period in Farmingdale, Hicksville and Levittown. They came one day to the hour that three gas stations were hit along Northern Boulevard in the Roslyn-Great Neck area Thursday by a man fitting the same description.

Two days earlier, two stations were hit by a man fitting a similar description. A BP Gas station in Garden City Park was robbed about 3:30 a.m. and a second station was struck in West Hempstead 30 minutes later about four miles away. In both cases, the man demanded and made off with money and cigarettes.

The serial robbery suspect is described as being a light skinned black male, 5’ 8,” 25-30 years of age.

Detectives request that anyone with information regarding this robbery to call the Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS. All callers will remain anonymous.