Cranford Police Charge Man After BP Gas Station Is Robbed

CRANFORD, NJ — Thanks to the watchful eyes of an off-duty Hillside police officer, the Cranford police were able to charge a Roselle Park man Tuesday night after a local BP gas station was robbed, they said.

The Cranford Police Department said they responded at 10:54 p.m. Tuesday to a reported robbery at the station located at 475 E. North Ave., they said.

They said the gas attendant told them that a white male displayed a handgun and demanded cash from him. The suspect then fled the scene in a white Jeep Cherokee heading east on East North Avenue.

An off-duty Hillside Police Officer, who was nearby when the incident occurred, observed the suspect fleeing from the gas station, police said. The officer was able to provide a description of the suspect and get his license plate number.

Officers from the Cranford Police Department and Roselle Park Police Department were able to locate the suspect vehicle shortly thereafter at the vehicle’s registered address on Bridge Street in Roselle Park, police said.

After an investigation, the Cranford Police Department arrested Philip Lagana Jr., 21, of Roselle Park, and charged him with robbery, possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes and unlawful possession of a weapon.

Lagana was processed and remanded to the Union County Jail pending a detention hearing.

The Cranford Police Department recovered the proceeds from the crime as well as the firearm used in the incident, they said.

The defendant is considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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