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Driver struck, killed gas station manager after fleeing without paying for $22 worth of gas

Cemal Dagdeviren
Posted at 9:38 AM, Jan 16, 2019
and last updated 2019-01-16 09:38:45-05

NASSAU COUNTY, NY — (NEWS 12 LONG ISLAND/CNN) - Police in Nassau County, New York, released surveillance footage that shows a driver running over and killing a 59-year-old gas station manager earlier this week.

Investigators said the driver killed the man to avoid paying $22 for a tank of gas in South Hempstead, New York, on Long Island.

The incident occurred Monday at 7:30 a.m.

Video shows the driver in a black GMC accelerate and run over the station manager, identified as Cemal Dagdeviren, of Levittown, New York. He later died at a local hospital.

Police said the driver of the vehicle asked a gas station attendant to fill up his truck, but he began acting suspiciously.

The attendant added $22 worth of gas to the tank, but then asked the driver to pull over.

The driver claimed he didn't have cash, and then police say he tried to offer a fake credit card. When confronted by the manager, that's when they say he hit the gas pedal.

"This male then intentionally ran this male victim over, causing his death," said Nassau Co. Police Lt. Det. Stephen Fitzpatrick.

The hit-and-run driver is described as a tall black man in his 30s, with dreadlocks. His vehicle did not have license plates or a registration sticker.

Workers at a gas station right across the street sad the victim was a hard worker and family man.

Dagdeviren was an immigrant from Turkey who is survived by a wife and two adult sons.

Police are asking anyone with information about the suspect to contact them.

Courtesy of News 12 Long Island via CNN Newsource