Shoplifter Carjacks Woman to Avoid Being Caught

Nassau Police are searching for a man they say tried to steal from an East Rockaway pharmacy and then carjacked a woman to avoid being caught Wednesday.

At 3 p.m., a man took several items from shelves at CVS on Ocean Avenue and tried to leave without paying, police said. The store’s manager and an employee confronted the man and gave chase as he fled west on Prospect Avenue, cops said. CVS personnel caught him and, after a brief struggle, took back the stolen items, police said.

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The man escaped their grasp and continued fleeing down Prospect Avenue when he came across a woman getting into her running car, police said. The man shoved her out of the way and jumped into the car as witnesses tried to pull him out, cops said.

To escape, the man backed into the car behind him, drove up onto the victim’s lawn, and fled east on Prospect Avenue, police said.

The stolen car is a gray 2010 Toyota Corolla with the license plate EVW1600, cops said. The car has not yet been found.

No injuries were reported in the incident.

Cops said the man was white, 6-foot, had an average build, and brown hair. He was wearing blue jeans, a blue windbreaker, and eyeglasses at the time.

Detectives are asking anyone with information to call Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS. All callers will remain anonymous.

Photo via Google Maps

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