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Information was still coming in as this story was being written. At this point, however, the same three masked bandits are believed responsible for armed robberies in Montclair, at an Exxon station on Route 46 in Elmwood Park and at an Exxon/Tiger Mart on 21st Avenue in Paterson before dawn June 13.
They were also tied to a failed holdup at a Wawa in Garfield.
Authorities believe the three black suspects dressed all in black are between 18 and 21 years old. Two had on black ski masks and one a black and red mask, they said.
A crew member pointed a silver handgun at the victims in each of the robberies, including at an Exxon station on Bloomfield Avenue in Montclair shortly after 2 a.m.
The victim told police he was standing inside the vestibule of the station with the sliding door open when one of the robbers grabbed him by the neck while another pointed a silver handgun at him and demanded money.
One of the bandits rifled through his pockets, taking the $120 he had from working that night, the victim said.
Nearly an hour and a half passed before the robbers hit the gas station and convenience store in Paterson shortly before 3:30 a.m., responders said.
Around 4 a.m., the trio tried and failed to hold up a Wawa station and convenience store on Jewell Street in Garfield.
The problem? "The cash register was empty," Garfield Police Capt. Mario X. Pozo said.
It was 4:10 a.m., 10 minutes after their failed attempt, that the robbers approached an attendant at the pumps of the Exxon station on westbound Route 46 in Elmwood Park, just past Mola Boulevard, and demanded money.
One of the gunman's accomplices pushed the attendant, shaking him up, Elmwood Park Police Chief Michael Foligno said.
The robbers fled with roughly $250 in cash, the attendant's backpack and some of his belongings, the chief said.
Detectives from Elmwood Park and Garfield are working with Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella's Special Investigation Squad in an effort to identify and capture the robbers.
They're sharing information with their colleagues in Montclair and Paterson.
ANYONE who might have seen something, or has information that could lead to those responsible, is asked to call the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office at (201) 646-2300, or their local police department.
Daily Voice's Cecilia Levine contributed to this account.
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