Husem Nasri pistol-whipped an attendant at a Valero station in Hasbrouck Heights, NJ, in early February, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said.
Less 20 minutes later, Nasri pointed a gun at an attendant who locked himself in a Delta station in Clifton, the prosecutor said.
Nasri fled empty-handed both times, he said.
Nasri finally succeeded when he pointed a gun at two employees at a grocery store in Paterson and threatened to kill them shortly after 5 p.m. that same day, Musella said.
They handed over $400, the prosecutor said.
Musellaβs detectives worked with local police to identify the getaway car, a black Dodge Challenger that had been reported stolen out of New York City three days earlier, he said.
Three months of investigating led them to Nasri, the prosecutor said.
An arrest warrant was drawn up 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 FBIβs North Jersey Violent Crimes Task Force and North Virginia Resident Agency, Musellaβs squad nabbed Nasri in Alexandria on May 28, the prosecutor said.
Nasri remained held in the Alexandria Detention Center pending extradition to New Jersey, Musella said.
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