Cops: New York man filled 30 buckets with gas in Conn.

Orange, Conn. police say a Queens, N.Y. man came to Connecticut fo fill unapproved, plastic five-gallon buckets with gas to take back to his neighbors. He, and the gas station attendant where he purchased the gas, were arrested. less Orange, Conn. police say a Queens, N.Y. man came to Connecticut fo fill unapproved, plastic five-gallon buckets with gas to take back to his neighbors. He, and the gas station attendant where he purchased the ... more Photo: Contributed Photo Photo: Contributed Photo Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Cops: New York man filled 30 buckets with gas in Conn. 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

ORANGE -- A New York man illegally filled 30 non-approved, five-gallon plastic buckets with gas at a Boston Post Road Valero station on Saturday, police said.

Yunus Latif, 47, of Richmond Hill, Queens, came to the station at 347 Boston Post Road to buy gas for himself and his neighbors, who had given him money, according to Orange police Asst. Chief Anthony Cuozzo. Latif said gas was "sold out" in New York as a result of Superstorm Sandy, which knocked out power to several stations and hindered the delivery of gas to those with power.

Since the end of last week, gas stations in Fairfield County have seen long lines as New York and New Jersey residents come to Connecticut seeking gas.

Cuozzo said an anonymous, concerned citizen came to police headquarters around 8:45 p.m. and said someone in a van with New York plates was at the Valero station filling up Home Depot buckets with gas and loading them into the van. Police were sent to the station and found Latif, who was in the process of putting gas in one of the buckets, Cuozzo said. Latif then told police he had about 30 of the buckets, filled with four gallons of gas, inside his van.

"Officers observed that the buckets of gas were covered with lids and stacked on top of each other inside the van and trunk," Cuozzo said. "... The buckets were not secured in the vehicle and the lids were beginning to expand."

State law requires that gas only be transported in Department of Transportation-approved containers. The approved containers are built to withstand the increased pressure that occurs when gas heats up and expands and are made to decrease the buildup of static electricity, which can cause an explosion or fire.

The gas station owner, Muniruzzaman Gomosta, 41, of West Haven, said he was busy and didn't realize what the man was doing. He told police that Latif had come inside the store several times to pay for gas, but didn't realize what he was doing.

Gomosta and Latif both were issued a misdemeanor summons for violation of regulation concerning flammable or combustible liquids.

"Officers felt Gomosta should have realized what Latif was doing as he entered the store several times to pay for buckets of gasoline," Cuozzo said.

Orange Fire Marshal Timothy Smith and state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection officials responded to the scene and decided to return the gasoline to the station's underground storage tanks.

Gomosta and Latif are due in Derby Superior Court on Nov. 19.