Nassau County Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information about a suspect who they said robbed BP gas stations in New Hyde Park and Thomaston during last month’s Winter Storm Juno and is thought to have also shot and killed a BP attendant in Jericho days later.
The suspect was photographed on surveillance cameras at both the New Hyde Park and Thomaston stations. In the images, the suspect is wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and has covered and the bottom portion of his face.
The suspect has been described as a white or possibly Hispanic male with a stocky build who stands at five-foot-eight in height.
Police said the suspect robbed the BP station at 1301 Jericho Turnpike in New Hyde Park around 5:45 p.m. on January 26 and a second BP station at 655 Northern Boulevard in Thomaston about a half hour later.
In both instances, the suspect allegedly entered the station armed with a black handgun and demanded cash from the attendant.
During the initial New Hyde Park robbery, police said the suspect fired a round into the counter before fleeing on foot northbound along Abraham Lane.
When he robbed the Thomaston station, police said the suspect fired a round into the wall.
Police said the two robberies are being investigated in connection with the shooting death of Jericho BP attendant Hany Awad, who was discovered last Wednesday
lying behind the counter of the station’s convenience store with a gunshot wound in his abdomen.
Awad, 56, of Levittown, was pronounced dead at the scene by Nassau County ambulatory medical technicians around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday night.
An undetermined amount of cash was stolen from all three gas stations, police said. An investigation is ongoing.
Police have requested that anyone with information regarding the robberies contact the Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS. Calls will remain anonymous.
