A Roselle man has been sentenced to 10 years in state prison for robbing a local gas station on his 20th birthday, acting Union County Prosecutor Grace H. Park announced Friday.
Latieef Haynes, 20, was sentenced by state Superior Court Judge Regina Caulfield. Under the provisions of New Jersey’s No Early Release Act, he must serve at least 85 percent of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole.
It was shortly before 3 a.m. on July 7, 2013 when Haynes approached the attendant working overnight at the Lukoil gas station on West 1st Avenue in Roselle and asked for cigars, according to Union County Assistant Prosecutor Andrew Olesnycky, who prosecuted the case. When the attendant went to retrieve them, Haynes told the worker to get on his knees, pointed the gun at his head, and demanded money, ultimately making off with approximately $700 from the attendant’s pockets and the gas station’s cash register, Olesnycky said.
An investigation by the Roselle Police Department quickly identified Haynes as a suspect in the case, and he was arrested a week later. Haynes then pleaded guilty in February.