Man Brutally Beat Clerk, Tried To Blow Up Gas Station When Refused Job Application: Freese

WOODSTOCK, IL — A Woodstock man is charged with attempted murder after he brutally attacked a gas station clerk and tried to blow up the business on New Year’s Eve, authorities said.

Austin Silverman, 29, appeared in court Friday on charges of attempted first-degree murder and aggravated battery in a public place, according to authorities, who said he was denied pretrial release.

“This was a brutal, heinous, and unprovoked attack on a defenseless woman,” McHenry County State’s Attorney Randi Freese said in a news release. “We are pleased that, after the hearing, our petition to detain this dangerous defendant was granted and that he will remain in custody pending the outcome of these charges.”

Silverman entered a Shell gas station on Wednesday morning in the 100 block of North Eastwood Drive in Woodstock and asked the clerk for a job application, authorities said.

When she declined to give him one, he attacked her in a rage, punching and kicking her repeatedly, before going outside and unsuccessfully trying to blow up the station by putting out a cigarette in a gas pump, according to authorities. He then attempted to go back in the store, but the clerk had locked the door, authorities said.

The clerk suffered severe injuries to her face, ribs and arms, according to authorities.

Silverman’s next court appearance is set for Wednesday, authorities said.