String of Robberies at UES Gas Station

By [Matt Draper] Police are on the lookout for a suspect wanted in connection with a recent spate of robberies at an Upper East Side gas station. The suspect struck once a month for the last three months, targeting victims using a men"s restroom attached to a Shell gas station at the corner of 96th Street and First Avenue, near FDR Drive. The suspect is wanted in connection with two robberies and one attempted robbery. The robberies took place Aug. 4, Sep. 30 and Oct. 12, all between 3 a.m. and 6:15 a.m. Each of the victims was grabbed from behind and searched for money. The suspect wielded a knife during the last robbery, lacerating the victim"s hand. The two previous victims were not injured. All three victims were Asian males. The suspect stole an undetermined amount of money. The NYPD is seeking the public"s help in locating the suspect, who is described as a black male, 25 to 30 years old, between 6-feet and 6-foot-2-inches tall and weighing approximately 180 lbs. He has a clean-shaven head and was last seen wearing a white shirt and beige shorts. The crimes came as a shock to area residents and business owners. â??I didn"t hear about it, said Godwin Ogunyomi, a front desk agent at the Mt. Sinai apartment complex on 96th Street. â??Before now I thought the neighborhood was good. Jimmy Acevedo, a resident at Isaacs Houses's which, according to a previous Our Town article, is where the suspect fled after the first robbery's said he didn"t know about the burglaries. â??I got 15 years living over here, said Acevedo. â??There are a lot of cops around here. It"s safe. It"s a nice neighborhood. Jose Perez, an employee at Pam Food deli-grocery located next to the Shell station, said he had only heard about one of the robberies when a station employee mentioned it to him. â??He said, â??Hey be careful, some taxi driver got robbed over there," Perez said, who added it was unusual for the neighborhood. â??Nothing"s happening here. Maybe breaking into cars, but not robbing. Though police would not confirm if the victims were taxi drivers, several cabbies who recently stopped at the Shell station gave mixed answers as to whether they"d use the station"s restroom in the future. Ainun Hoque, a taxi driver who visits the Shell station about once a month to get gas and use the restroom, said he didn"t know about the burglaries. Even so, he won"t stop using the restroom. â??I"m a cab driver, said Hoque. â??When I have to go to the bathroom, I have to use it. Taxi driver Ahmed Mohamed said he frequently stops at the station to use the restroom, but will be more cautious and may not use it again. Mohamed drives during the day to avoid burglaries. â??I hear the night is more money, but more dangerous, said Mohamed. â??If something happens to me, nobody will support my family. Two Shell station employees declined to comment, though they responded â??no when asked if any precautionary measures had been taken to warn customers or secure the men"s restroom, which is still open. The case is under investigation, said a police department spokesperson.