Oceanside day spa robbed

Police are searching for a man who robbed an Oceanside salon on Tuesday, after he threatened a receptionist at gunpoint while customers were inside receiving spa services.

Police said a man entered Frasada Salon and Day Spa at 2785 Long Beach Road at 4:50 p.m. on May 18, approached the female receptionist, demanded money and revealed a handgun. The suspect made off with $500 cash and headed north on foot on Long Beach Road. Police said about 10 customers were inside at the time of the robbery, in the rear of the salon. Customers did not witness the incident, police said, but employees described an intense scene.

"He kept telling us not to look at him," said a woman who identified herself as the receptionist who was threatened, and asked not to be named. "We kept looking at him because it didn't seem real so we didn't take him seriously at the time. Then he showed us the gun to let us know."

The employee said that the suspect kept covering his face with his hand. While the incident lasted roughly six minutes, the ordeal felt much longer.

"It felt like forever, but it happened very quickly," she said. "He was very discreet, not rough, but he was nervous, timid. He just threw the bag over the counter and demanded money. I'm still a bit shaken up."

Considering that customers were inside at the time of the robbery, the employee acted quickly to get the suspect out of the salon. No one was injured, police said.

"I just gave him what he wanted and that was it," she said. "People were in the salon, and, keeping their safety in mind, we tried to get him out quickly."

The robbery comes on the heels of an incident at Beach Bum Tanning, at 2801 Long Beach Rd., a week earlier. In that incident, police said a suspect also threatened a receptionist at gunpoint and made off with the salon's cash. The suspect in that case is described as a white male in his 20s with an average build, about five feet six inches tall.

Detectives in charge of the latest case were unavailable to provide more information, but a Nassau County Police Department spokesman said that it was too early to determine if the robberies are related. At this point, he said, they are not.

Police described the suspect in this latest incident at Frasada as a white male, 20 to 25 years old, five feet six inches to five feet eight-inches-tall, with a thin build and short brown hair. He wore glasses and a "bulky" three-quarters length dark jacket.

Employees said that this is the first robbery at Frasada, which has been in Oceanside for about 13 years. They were stunned to hear of a robbery at Beach Bum just a week earlier, the receptionist said.

"We had no idea something had happened at the tanning salon," she said.

Police are asking anyone with information about these robberies to contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS. All callers will remain anonymous.