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The spree ended with back-to-back holdups of two gas stations on northbound Route 17 in Mahwah barely a couple of minutes from the Rockland County border.
The robber entered the Valero station near Route 202 at 11:05 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 22, Mahwah Police Chief Stephen Jaffe said.
He “brandished a handgun at the staff at the register and demanded money,” then held up the attendant, removing all the cash he had, Jaffe said.
The bandit then hit a Sunoco station just before the exit for Mountainview Avenue and Crossroads Boulevard – a half-mile up the road from the Valero -- at 11:09 p.m., the chief said.
This time, he walked behind the counter of the convenience store, pointed a black handgun and demanded money before speeding off with an unspecified amount of cash, Jaffe said.
The spree began at a BP station on eastbound Route 4 at 10:43 p.m., Paramus Police Chief Kenneth Ehrenberg said.
The robber had just had the tank of his car filled when he pulled a handgun and robbed the attendant of $400, Ehrenberg's officers were told.
Less than five minutes later, police responding to a panic alarm at the 7-Eleven on Broadway (Route 4) in Fair Lawn discovered the convenience store had just been robbed of $2,500 by a man fitting the same description and pointing a black revolver, Sgt. Brian Metzler said.
The three departments have shared information with one another and police on both sides of the border.
Witnesses said the robber wore a black jacket, grey hooded sweatshirt and black pants and a gray cloth mask, along with gloves. His vehicle was described as a light-colored four-door Volkswagen sedan.
ANYONE with information that could help identify the robber and/or his vehicle is asked to contact police either in Paramus (201-262-3400), Fair Lawn (201-796-1400) or Mahwah (201-529-1000).
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