New gas station employee allegedly steals $17,000 on very first day of work

HAMDEN, Connecticut -- A gas station employee allegedly made off with more than $17,000 of cash, cigarettes and lottery tickets on his very first day of work.

The incident happened in late January at the Go On Gas station in Hamden, Connecticut, when management hired a new overnight employee to run the station on his own, according to a statement from the Hamden Police Department.

However, when the store owner utilized an app on his phone to view the store cameras and to check in on how his new employee was doing, he was shocked to find that his brand new employee was nowhere to be seen.

"(The owner) quickly ascertained that the new employee had left," said the Hamden Police Department in their statement. "The store owner immediately responded to the store and ascertained that the new employee had stolen numerous items including lottery tickets, 89 boxes of cigarettes and money."

The total loss is valued at $17,183.00, according to Hamden police.

To make matters worse, the suspect also managed to steal his employment folder with all of his personal information in it meaning that the store owner not only has no way to identify the man but also doesn't even know the name of his former employee.

"Careful whom you hire!!," said the Hamden Police Department in a post on Facebook when sharing information about the case.

The suspect is still at large and anybody with information on the suspect is asked to contact the Hamden Police Patrol Division.