What Happened
A man robbed a BP gas station on Sunrise Highway in Rockville Centre at knifepoint just before 3:45 a.m. Thursday, slashing an employee across the face before stealing cash from the register, according to News 12 Long Island. Police were still searching for the suspect as of Sunday afternoon, September 14.
Surveillance video provided by station co-owner Hitendra Shah shows the suspect walk behind the counter, confront the employee directly, slash his face with a knife, and then open the cash register. The entire sequence — from entry behind the counter to the theft — was captured on camera, News 12 Long Island reports. Police released that footage publicly as part of the search effort.
The employee was transported to a hospital after the attack. Shah told News 12 the worker needed about 14 stitches. He is expected to recover. Shah said the employee did not resist or provoke the suspect: “My guy didn’t say anything. He didn’t try to play any smartness or anything. He’s been here for a very, very long time.”
Shah also said: “It could’ve been worse. Thank God the guy didn’t hurt him a lot.”
Eleanor Baxmeyer, a Lynbrook resident who told News 12 she shops at the station regularly, said she had planned to go to the BP that same night. “I got up just before 4 a.m., and I was going to come get some ice cream and I don’t know, I just didn’t. I didn’t come,” Baxmeyer said. She described the injured employee as someone she sees consistently: “He’s a really, really nice man. Very mild mannered, very calm, quiet and he’s always here.”
Location & Road Context
The BP station sits on Sunrise Highway in Rockville Centre, a stretch of NY-27 that runs through southern Nassau County and carries heavy commercial traffic at all hours. The 3:45 a.m. timeframe placed the station in a low-traffic window with the employee working alone behind the counter.
Lynbrook borders Rockville Centre to the west, and Baxmeyer’s account places at least some overnight foot traffic in the area that early. The station’s owner supplied surveillance footage directly to police and to News 12 Long Island, which reported the story exclusively on September 14, 2026 at 5:09 p.m.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
Police have not named a suspect or announced any arrest as of the News 12 report filed at 5:09 p.m. on September 14. The investigation is being handled by Nassau County Police, who distributed the surveillance footage to aid in identifying the man seen on camera. No charges have been filed and no arraignment date has been set.
Anyone with information on the suspect’s identity or whereabouts should contact Nassau County Police.