Prosecutor: Suspect in deadly gas station shooting remains at large

The person suspected in the deadly shooting of an Edison gas station clerk remains on the loose, according to the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s office.

The prosecutor says that earlier reports that someone was taken into custody for the killing are not accurate.

“Earlier today the Perth Amboy Public Information Officer put out an unauthorized statement without consulting with the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office or the Edison Police Department regarding an arrest in the murder investigation,” a spokesperson for the prosecutor said in a statement. “While someone was being questioned regarding the fatal shooting at the Speedway Gas Station in Edison, he has been released from custody.”

The robbery happened around 4 a.m. Thursday at the Speedway Gas Station on Amboy Avenue. Officials say that the masked suspect walked into the gas station shop, pointed a silver handgun at the clerk and demanded money.

The suspect took a drawer full of money and was on the way out when he fired one shot, killing 38-year-old Fords resident John Bertram. Another employee inside the shop was not hurt.

The suspect ran away from the area after the shooting, prompting a massive manhunt for him. He is described as a tall, skinny man with a slight build. The suspect’s race was unclear. He was wearing what appeared to be a maroon-colored hoodie, light jeans and a black mask and black gloves.

Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Loren Long of the Edison Police Department at 732-248-7531, or Detective David Abromaitis of the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office at 732-745-4436.