Suspect in gas station robbery on the loose

OCEAN TOWNSHIP — Police are searching for the suspect who allegedly robbed a 15-year-old gas station employee of an undisclosed amount of cash last week.

At approximately 4:53 p.m. on Aug. 4, Ocean Township police received a call from the Getty gas station in the Oakhurst section in the township in reference to a robbery, according to police reports.

While en route to the scene, officers were advised by dispatch that two employees of the gas station were chasing the suspect along Monmouth Road, according to reports.

After arriving in the area, officers discovered that the employees who gave chase to the suspect had lost sight of him, authorities said.

The victim told police that he was approached by a man who asked him for change in exchange for a larger bill.

As the 15-year-old township resident was reaching for the change, the man grabbed an undisclosed amount of money from him and fled the scene on foot, according to reports.

The victim yelled out for help, and two employees who were working in the garage area at the gas station gave chase to the suspect, according to reports.

The suspect displayed no weapons during the robbery, and the attendant was not injured during the incident, authorities said.

The suspect was last seen fleeing north on Monmouth Road and is described as a white or Hispanic male, approximately 5 feet 10 inches to 6 feet tall, with a stocky build. He is believed to be in his early 20s. The suspect was last seen wearing a pair of dark shorts and a dark T-shirt.

Police are asking anyone who may have witnessed the incident or who has any information about the incident to contact Ocean Township Police Detective Patrick Martin at 732-531-1800.