Cops probe attempted robbery of BP gas station in Merrick

Police are investigating the attempted robbery late Monday of a Merrick gas station.

A man wearing a ski mask approached the clerk at BP gas station in the 1500 block of Merrick Road shortly before 11 p.m., reached into his waistband “as if to have a gun,” and demanded money, Nassau County police said.

Another worker “startled” the would-be robber, who fled on foot without any money and headed north on Central Boulevard, police said.

Police described the man as in his early 20s “with a thin build, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, gray jeans” and “black sneakers with white markings on them.”

Detectives urge anyone with information about the attempted robbery to anonymously call Crime Stoppers at 800-244-TIPS.