An attendant at the Mobil gas station near Twin Rivers on Route 33 was held up last week for the second time in the past three months.
By: Chris Karmiol
EAST WINDSOR A man armed with a semi-automatic handgun robbed a gas station attendant at gunpoint at the Twin Rivers Mobil on Route 33 at 11:20 p.m. March 7, according to police.
The holdup is the second armed robbery at that 24-hour gas station in the past three months. The same attendant was also a victim of a pair of robbers in December, the attendant said.
The attendant, an Indian man who was reluctant to discuss details or give his name, works the 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. shift seven days a week. He said $185 was taken.
"I don’t care about money," the station attendant said. "I believe in God," he added as he pointed to the sky.
The assailant was described as a black man approximately 5 feet 7 inches tall wearing a blue-jean jacket, blue pants and a blue ski mask, police said. The man fled the scene on foot.
The attendant, a resident of Burlington, said he would continue to work the overnight shift so he could take care of his children during the day. He has three kids.
Fred Merkin, owner of the East Windsor Exxon on Route 130, said he was shocked to hear of the robbery. He said he too was a victim of a robbery many years ago. He explained how gas stations can avoid harm as a result of armed robbery.
"Carry very little money, keep the place well-lit, lock the door at night," Mr. Merkin said. And if you are a victim, he simply said, "Give them what they want."
Mr. Merkin’s Exxon station is also open 24 hours.
Diego Perez, an attendant at the Hess station nearby on Route 33, not far from the holdup, was also surprised to hear of the robbery. The Twin Rivers resident also works the night shift. His station has not been victimized in a robbery, as far as he knew, but, he said, the soda machines had been broken into before. The Hess station closes at 10 p.m.
An East Windsor resident who was pumping gas at the Hess station said robberies such as the one at Mobil are a rarity.
"East Windsor police are around," he said. "You can’t see them, but they’re around. They’re very effective."
Detective Jeffrey Valentino is investigating the incident. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Valentino at 448-5678.