A 37-year-old Bayonne man was left wounded after a robbery and shooting just before midnight on Dec. 5 at the Exxon gas station at 100 Route 440 in Bayonne. Three men described as African-American were sought Monday in connection with the shooting.
Police Chief Robert Kubert said the robbery may be linked to three similar incidents in Newark and one in Harrison.
Kubert said that a station security camera caught images of two of the alleged suspects approaching the gas station attendant in his booth. One man was armed with a pistol, the other with a rifle or a shotgun, he said. After a struggle, one of the attackers, Kubert said, struck the attendant in the head with the butt of the rifle while the other attacker shot the attendant in the chest before both fled back to the car and escaped down Route 440 in the direction of the Bayonne Bridge.
“It is lucky that he was shot with the handgun and not the rifle or shotgun.” – Chief Robert Kubert
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Kubert said the security camera was able to capture images of the fleeing vehicle, and that it had a New York license plate.
“Technical services is in possession of the videotapes, and we’re attempting to make still photographs of the vehicle and the two robbers,” Kubert said, noting that the suspects’ vehicle was a late model, four-door burgundy car with a tan interior and a sunroof. The vehicle had three people in it when it pulled into the station, Kubert said.
Two of the men got out from the passenger side door, he said. The victim, who was interviewed briefly before being taken away by ambulance, said both were males. One with a handgun wore a gray hooded sweat shirt and dark pants. The other man, in an orange hooded sweatshirt, carried the rifle or shotgun. Both men approached the shack where the struggle ensued, and the victim subsequently was struck and shot.
“The man was struck in the left side of the chest,” Kubert said. “It is lucky that he was shot with the handgun and not the rifle or shotgun.”
“During the time of the robbery, the clerk working in the convenience store heard the shots,” Kubert said. “There was a customer in the door who had come in a dark pickup truck. He left the store and drove away. A small white car – possibly a small station wagon – pulled up, apparently saw what was happening, and pulled away. We would like to talk to both of those witnesses.”
At press time, it is undetermined if the robbers actually got away with any cash since they could not open the locked cash register, and the victim still had cash in his pockets, Kubert said.
Charges
As of Monday, the two men involved with the actual robbery faced charges of robbery, unlawful possession of a weapon, and possession of a weapon for illegal use.
Bayonne police are currently in discussions with the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office to determine if even more serious charges, such as attempted murder, should be added.
“I don’t know if the changes will be that severe,” Kubert said.
Meanwhile, the Bayonne police put out a statewide alert and notified the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey – which oversees the Bayonne Bridge – as well as the New York City Police Department in Staten Island.
An official who asked not to be named said the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey was reviewing surveillance cameras for clues.
Kubert said anyone with information – especially the people who were on the scene at the time of the robbery – should contact the Bayonne police either through the tips line at 1-877-900-TIPS or the Detective Bureau at (201) 858-6925.
Al Sullivan may be reached at asullivan@hudsonreporter.com.