Bellerose Terrace gas station robbed at gunpoint, cops say

A gun-toting man wearing a yellow rain poncho and a black mask robbed a Shell gas station in Bellerose Terrace on Tuesday, fleeing the scene on foot, Nassau County police said.

Police are asking anyone with information about the armed robbery to call Crime Stoppers at 800-244-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.

The robbery occurred at 2:45 p.m. at the gas station on Jericho Turnpike, police said.

Police said the robber displayed a black handgun, demanded cash, and said the 32-year-old cashier complied. The cashier was uninjured.

Police said that after robbing the station, the suspect fled southbound on 239th Street.

The suspect is described as being in his 30s, at least 6-foot and with a thin build.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”