Cops: Gas station clerk scares off would-be robber

A Garden City Park gas station clerk activated an alarm to thwart a robber who had grabbed him by the neck early Thursday, police said.

The assailant entered the Gulf gas station, 2399 Jericho Tpke., at about 12:25 a.m. and tried to make a purchase with a credit card, but the card was twice declined, Nassau County police said in a news release.

The suspect then "went behind the counter" and grabbed the worker by the neck. When the would-be robber demanded money, "the victim activated an alarm and the subject fled on foot in an unknown direction."

There were no injuries, and nothing was stolen, police said.

Detectives investigating the case urge anyone with information about the robbery to call Nassau County Crime Stoppers anonymously at 800-244-TIPS.