Tri-State Drivers Digging Deep For Higher Gas Prices
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – As the price of gas creeps higher and higher, Tri-State residents and workers are constantly feeling the pinch.
Police are even seeing incidents related to the price at the pump. Police said a Nissan Maxima driver asked for $20 worth of gas in Fort Lee, but sped off without paying, dragging the gas station attendant into the middle of Route 4.
The attendant was pulled to safety without being hit or seriously injured, but other gas station attendants are now worried.
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"It just feels terrible. He's working at the gas station, getting paid $8, so he's going to fight for $20 because at the end of the day he's going to pay for it out of his pocket. It's very terrible," attendant Sooraka Bouzo said.
Prices are topping off above $4 a gallon this week and show no signs of slowing down. The statewide average hit $4.02 for regular in Connecticut, $4 in New York and $3.65 in New Jersey, according to AAA.
Steven Colen said he pays well over $4 a gallon in Manhattan to fill up his Mercedes SUV and he blames the government for the high cost of gas.
"If you issue all that debt, you end up paying for it put on the shoulders of workers and taxpayers and everyone else so I think that's why gas prices are so high," Colen said.
Manhattan driver Alex Scheer said there's no one to blame.
"No one really. It's just the economy," Scheer said.
Some drivers think you just have to accept the high prices. There will be a protest in Newark at 1 p.m. the People's Organization for Progress.
In Farmingdale on Long Island, some drivers are finding some hidden gems where the price is lower. At a B.J.'s, the price for a gallon of regular is $3.93 compared to the $4.07 at the Mobil Station.
One local resident named Patricia said because she is out of a job she is not only counting her pennies but her miles as well.
"I actually go to the stores on the same day then stay home the rest of the week," she said.
