Husem Nasri pistol-whipped an attendant at a Valero station on northbound Route 17 near Route 46 in Hasbrouck Heights shortly before 3 p.m. Feb. 5, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said.
Less 20 minutes later Nasri pointed a gun at an attendant who locked himself in the Delta station at Van Houten and Broad avenues in Clifton โ also near Route 46, the prosecutor said.
Nasri fled empty-handed both times, he said.
Nasri finally succeeded shortly after 5 p.m. that same day when he pointed a gun at two employees at the A&C Grocery Store on North 3rd Street in Paterson and threatened to kill them, Musella said.
They handed over $400, the prosecutor said.
Musellaโs detectives worked with local police to identify the getaway car, a black Dodge Challenger that had been reported stolen in New York City three days earlier, he said.
Three months of investigating led them to Nasri, the prosecutor said on May 29.
An arrest warrant was drawn up on May 15 charging Nasri with four counts of first-degree armed robbery and various counts of aggravated assault, making terroristic threats and illegal weapons possession.
With a significant boost from the FBIโs North Jersey Violent Crimes Task Force and North Virginia Resident Agency, Musellaโs squad nabbed Nasri in Alexandria, VA on Tuesday, the prosecutor said.
He remained held in the Alexandria Detention Center pending extradition to New Jersey, Musella said.
The prosecutor thanked police from Hasbrouck Heights, Clifton and Paterson, as well as the FBI, the Passaic County Prosecutorโs Office and the Fairfax County, VA Police Department.
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