Mercedes stolen while fueling at Westbury gas station, police say

Nassau County police are investigating the fourth incident since December where a car was stolen while a driver was fueling up at a gasoline station, police said at a news conference on Monday.

Police said so far this year 23 cars have been stolen in Nassau. Last year, a total of 968 vehicles were stolen and the year before that the total was 561.

The most recent incident happened Sunday morning, when a 43-year-old male victim was putting gas in his 2022 Mercedes-Benz AMG SUV at the Shell service station at 865 Carman Ave. in Westbury at around 8:50 a.m., police said. A male subject got out of a nearby gray Audi, through the passenger side, and jumped into the victim’s car before fleeing southbound on Carman Avenue. While leaving the service station, the gas pump nozzle was still attached to the stolen car, and it was ripped off.

The unknown driver of the gray Audi also fled on Carman Avenue.

Shortly afterward, the suspect driving the stolen Mercedes was involved in a car crash at the intersection of Carman Avenue and Hempstead Turnpike with another vehicle driven by 55-year-old man. The robbery suspect fled the scene of the crash, and the 2022 Mercedes was later located abandoned near the intersection of Hempstead Turnpike and Park Avenue in East Meadow. No injuries were reported.

“Four stolen cars. These cases associated with them are under investigation and we continue to collaborate on the most important part of this, to try to put an end to the stolen vehicles,” said Nassau County Police Chief of Detectives Christopher Ferro.      

Authorities said this is the fourth incident of this nature since December. In an incident last week in Mineola, a thief stole a white 2020 Range Rover from a 60-year-old victim, who was filling up at a BP gas station on West Jericho Turnpike. The victim’s 1-year-old small white dog named Sammy, who was still in the car, was later thrown out of the vehicle. The dog suffered a broken back and paralyzed legs, Ferro said. The SUV was later found parked on a street in East Orange, New Jersey.

The other two incidents were in Glen Head and Roslyn last month. 

Ferro also said three suspects involved in a car theft in Lake Success were arrested over the weekend. New Jersey State Police notified Nassau and Lake Success police on Saturday that a stolen car, which was being tracked, was headed toward the Lake Success area. Later that day, a Lake Success resident called police to report that her 2021 black Land Rover was stolen out of her garage.

The newly stolen SUV was tracked traveling across the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, where it was stopped by NYPD officers. The males — ages 14, 16 and 18 — were arrested and transferred back to Nassau, where they were charged with second-degree grand larceny, second-degree burglary, and third-degree criminal possession of stolen property. Police identified the 18-year-old as Jabir Robinson of Newark, New Jersey, who was also charged with conspiracy and criminal facilitation.

Robinson was being held after bail was set at $25,000 cash or $50,000 bond at his arraignment in Nassau First District Court on Monday, according to court records. His next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 11.

“We urge the community to understand that we’re being targeted because of the community we live in,” Ferro said. “We have many high-end cars in Nassau County, so we are urging you to never leave your keys in the car.”

Detectives ask that anyone with information regarding these incidents contact the Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 800-244-TIPS. All callers will remain anonymous.