Mineola, NY - Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas announced that a Baldwin man was arraigned today on a grand jury indictment for allegedly running over and killing a gas station attendant while trying to steal $22 worth of gas.
Joshua Roston, 33, was arraigned before Judge Meryl Berkowitz and charged with:
- Three counts of Murder in the Second Degree (an A-I felony)
- Two counts of Robbery in the First Degree (a B violent felony)
- Two counts of Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the First degree (a C felony)
- Robbery in the Third Degree (a D felony)
- Leaving the Scene of an Incident without Reporting (a D felony)
- Three counts of Petit Larceny (an A misdemeanor)
Bail was set at $500,000 bond or $250,000 cash and the defendant is due back in court on May 9. If convicted of the top count, he faces 25 years to life in prison.
“An innocent 59-year-old man lost his life because this defendant allegedly chose to run him over rather than pay for $22 worth of gas,” DA Singas said. “This senseless murder shocks the conscience, and our prosecutors will aggressively seek justice for Mr. Dagdeviren and his family.”
DA Singas said that on January 14 at approximately 7:24 am, the defendant allegedly pulled up to the middle pump of the Pit Stop gas station located on Grand Avenue in North Baldwin and asked an attendant to fill up his Black GMC Suburban.
After Roston allegedly displayed a forged $50 bill, the attendant filled the tank with $22 worth of gas. However, the defendant then allegedly told the attendant that he was going to pay with a credit card inside the store instead of the cash, but then stated he needed to go to an ATM to get cash. During the course of the incident, 59-year-old Cemal Dagdeviren arrived for work and took over for the attendant.
Dagdeviren exited the store with Roston, who instead of going to the ATM, allegedly entered his SUV and started to drive away. To stop the defendant from leaving, Dagdeviren walked around the front of the vehicle, knocked on the driver’s side window and grabbed the windshield wiper of the car, but the defendant allegedly accelerated the vehicle and ran over Dagdeviren, dragging his body for several feet, killing him.
The defendant fled the scene and eventually turned himself in to police in Philadelphia on January 18, 2019.
The District Attorney thanked the Nassau County Police Department, the Philadelphia Police, Pennsylvania State Police Department and the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office for their work and extradition assistance.
Senior Assistant District Attorney Katie Zizza and Assistant District Attorney Alexander DePalo of DA Singas’ Vehicular Crimes Bureau are prosecuting this case. Joe LoPiccolo, Esq. represents the defendant.
A criminal charge is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.