Say Ozone Pk. Man Tried To Hoard Fuel
While Hurricane Sandy brought out the generosity of many New Yorkers, it also allegedly fueled the greed of an Ozone Park man busted last Saturday night, Nov. 3, for trying to fill more than two dozen buckets with gasoline from a Connecticut service station, law enforcement sources stated.
Police said Yunus Latif, 47, of 101st Avenue in Ozone Park allegedly concocted a scheme to bring back dozens of gallons of gasoline to his neighborhood in the midst of the ongoing fuel shortage gripping the area.
Reportedly, Latif drove up to the town of Orange, Conn.-located just east of New Haven-and visited a Valero gas station at around 9 p.m. last Saturday evening.
According to law enforcement sources, Latif allegedly began filling up five-gallon orange buckets purchased from The Home Depot which he brought with him from Queens. He reportedly ran into the station numerous times to pay for each fill up.
An anonymous tipster called 911, and members of the Orange, Conn. Police Department responded to the scene.
Upon their arrival, it was noted, the officers spotted Latif filling up one of the containers with gasoline. During questioning, the suspect allegedly told the officers that he had collected money from Ozone Park residents to purchase buckets full of fuel in Connecticut, then transport it back to Queens.
The officers reportedly recovered 30 buckets, each of which contained about four gallons of gasoline, inside the van. Police said the lids on the containers were either not properly secured or began to expand as a result of the fumes.
Latif was issued a misdemeanor summons for violating Connecticut’s law on the transportation of flammable or combustible liquids; he must return to court on Nov. 19 to answer to the charges.
Additionally, the station’s owner-identified as Muniruzzaman Gomosta, 41, was issued a misdemeanor summons for the same charge.
First responders reportedly removed the gasoline from the containers safely and returned the fuel to underground storage tanks, police said.
