A gas station attendant was beaten and robbed at gunpoint early Wednesday morning while working just blocks away from the Harrison PATH station, police said.
HARRISON -- A gas station attendant was beaten and robbed at gunpoint early Wednesday morning while working just blocks from the Harrison PATH station, police said.
The robbery was reported in what authorities are calling an "attractive crime location" -- an area that has seen a number of incidents reported in recent months -- prompting police to search for solutions to curb the crime.
At about 12:45 a.m., a 20-year-old Jersey City man working at the Delta Gas station was approached by two men wearing dark clothes, masks, and gloves approached, according to a police report.
The victim said he was sitting in a chair outside the office when one of the men put him in a headlock. The suspects then dragged him inside the office, began punching the 20-year-old and demanded money, the report states.
The two men grabbed the victim's Samsung tablet and $600 in cash before leaving the gas station, police said.
A short time after the robbery, a man called police and said he saw a "commotion" at the gas station when he was driving home from the PATH station. He said the suspects got inside a red SUV, drove up Frank E. Rodgers Boulevard, turned left on Harrison Avenue, and continued into Newark, the report states.
The witness was able to provide police with the suspects' license plate number. The victim was treated at the police station for swelling on his face, the reports states.
Multiple robberies have been reported in the neighborhood surrounding the Route 280 underpass. Harrison Police Lt. David Doyle said the area has been identified by authorities as being "prone to thefts and robberies."
Last month, a man and woman were robbed while walking down the street at the same intersection as this morning's robbery. Weeks before, a couple had a machine gun pointed to their heads while getting out their car on Essex Street, authorities said.
In June, Swedish tourists were robbed of $17,000 worth of jewelry in the same neighborhood under the Route 280 underpass. Two weeks later, a man was beaten while fighting off his would-be robbers while walking home from the PATH station, cops said.
Doyle said Wednesday's robbery is not believed to be related to recent crimes because the suspects had a different method of operation. The department has a Crime Suppression Unit that is working to find ways to curb robberies in the neighborhood, Doyle added.
Additionally, the Hudson County Sheriff's Office has added an extra patrol car to help Harrison patrol neighborhoods that have been identified as "attractive crime locations," Doyle said.
Caitlin Mota may be reached at cmota@jjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @caitlin_mota. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.