A Riverhead man is facing felony robbery and criminal mischief charges after a carjacking at a gas station in Riverside, according to N.Y. State Police.
State Police said a woman arrived at the Riverside trooper barracks at 1:45 a.m. today to report that her 2008 Nissan was forcibly taken from her at the Valero gas station on the traffic circle in Riverside.
Responding troopers searched the area and observed a male suspect, later identified as Michael Booker, age 29, of Riverhead, attempting to push the vehicle into the Peconic River from the rear parking lot of the McDonald’s restaurant on Flanders Road in Riverside, according to a State Police press release. Booker attempted to flee on foot along the riverbank and was quickly apprehended, police said.
Booker was charged with robbery in the second degree, a class C felony, criminal mischief in the second degree, a class D felony, reckless endangerment in the second degree, a class A misdemeanor, and harassment, a violation, according to the press release.
Booker was arraigned in Southampton Town Justice Court and remanded to the Suffolk County jail, police said.
Editor’s note: A criminal charge is an accusation. By law, a person charged with a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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