Cops: Would-Be Robber Hit Shell Employee In the Head

A man tried robbing the store at a Shell Gas Station on Route 46 in Hackettstown Monday morning, hitting an employee in the head with a metal rod, Hackettstown Police Detective Darren Tynan said.

Just before 2 a.m., a man wearing a plain black crewneck sweatshirt, black sweatpants and a black and yellow ski mask smashed through the glass door leading into the store, Tynan said. There was a struggle between the employee and the man, Tynan said, and that’s when the worker was hit in the head.

The employee was transported to Hackettstown Regional Medical Center with a head injury, Tynan said. There was no sign of any goods or proceeds being taken from the store, Tynan said.

The man, who was also carrying a black bag, fled the scene before police arrived and headed toward Water Street, Tynan said.

Police are asking that anyone with information about the incident from Monday morning please call 908-852-3302.

Assisting at the scene was the Hackettstown Detective Bureau, Hackettstown Rescue Squad, Independence Township Police, Mansfield Township Police, New Jersey State Police, and Washington Township Police and K-9 Unit.