2 Mount Vernon Men Charged In 7 NJ Gas Station Robberies: Prosecutors

MOUNT VERNON, NY — Two Mount Vernon men have been indicted for a string of armed robberies of gas stations in Bergen, Essex, and Passaic counties in New Jersey last year, prosecutors said this week.

Veron Brown, 26, and Ryan D. Servis, 25, both of Mount Vernon, were charged with several counts of armed robbery, as well as motor vehicle theft and weapons charges, the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office said.

Prosecutors said that on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024, at approximately 4:50 a.m., the Clifton Police Department responded to an armed robbery at a gas station located on Route 3 in Clifton.

They were told that two men in ski masks drove up to the gas station in an SUV. One of the men approached the gas station attendant and gestured with his hand in his jacket pocket that he had a gun.

The attendant ran from the gas station to safety, prosecutors said.

One of the masked suspects then entered the attendant’s booth, accessed the cash register, and grabbed lost-and-found credit cards left behind by customers, which were stored in the register for safekeeping. Both masked men fled the scene in their SUV, prosecutors said.

A second armed robbery by two masked men occurred at a different gas station n Route 3 in Clifton.

And around 5 a.m., the Hasbrouck Heights Police Department responded to an armed robbery at a gas station located on Route 17 in Hasbrouck Heights.

At 5:21 a.m., the Little Ferry Police Department responded to a report of an armed robbery at a gas station on Route 46 East in Little Ferry. They were told that two men in masks got out of an SUV and one pointed a firearm at the attendant, demanding cash. They stole $90 and left.

Nearly three weeks later, on Friday, January 26, 2024, at approximately 3:02 a.m., the Fort Lee Police Department responded to an armed robbery at a gas station on Bergen Boulevard in Fort Lee.

Police were told that two men in ski masks drove up in a Kia sedan. One brandished a weapon and told the attendant not to move, police were told. But the attendant ran away.

Twenty minutes later, the Newark Police Department responded to an armed robbery at a gas station located on Walnut Street in Newark. Two men, one of whom had a weapon, stole money and left.

Another gas station robbery took place on Bloomfield Avenue in Newark soon after, prosecutors said.

Detectives investigated for months. They determined that a stolen Kia Sorento SUV and a stolen Kia Sportage were used in the robberies.

Last August, both Brown and Servis were arrested and extradited to Bergen County.

On Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, a Bergen County Jury handed up a 17-count indictment against. the men, which they announced this past Monday..