Man Robbed Gas Station, Tried To Hide Across The Street: PD

BERKELEY, NJ — If you're trying to hide from police, hunching down in the front seat of your car across the street from the gas station you allegedly robbed probably isn't a good idea.

That's where Berkeley Township police say they found a Brick Township man accused of robbing the Delta Gas station on Wednesday night.

Ernest Cannon, 28, of Brick Boulevard in Brick, was arrested Wednesday night, not long after he allegedly robbed a gas attendant at Delta Gas, 245 Route 9, Berkeley Township Police Chief Karin DiMichele said.

No weapons were reported to have been shown or used, she said.

Police were called to the Delta about 7 p.m. by a Good Samaritan who saw a man struggling with the gas attendant. The Good Samaritan then tried to help the attendant as he chased the alleged robber before returning to the gas station to talk to the police.

Patrol units immediately set up a perimeter and began searching for the alleged robber with the help of the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office drone and its K-9 Unit. During the search, Patrolman Steven Kappok tried to talk to a man who fit the description of the suspect, but the man took off running.

It wasn't long, however, before they found the man. Berkeley Detective William Somers was able to track down a vehicle that was identified as being involved, and soon found it, parked across the street near the Shady Oaks Apartments, DiMichele said. As Somers approached the vehicle, he saw a man hunched down in the passenger’s seat.

Somers called for patrol units to assist and Patrolman Daniel Williams and Patrolman Johny Medina helped as the man, now identifed as Cannon, "was escorted out from the vehicle," DiMichele said.

Cannon was in possession of evidence from the crime scene as well as other contraband, she said. He has been charged with robbery, theft, resisting by flight and possession of a hypodermic needle. He is being held at the Ocean County Jail in accordance with the Bail Reform Act.

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Ernest Cannon, photo via Ocean County Corrections Department website