An Eden Prairie man working at a local gas station has been charged with felony property damage after police say he broke a customer’s fuel door during an argument over a coupon.
According to a Hennepin County criminal complaint, Nicholas James Martin, 26, was working at a Holiday station in the 8000 block of Flying Cloud Drive on Sept. 1 when a customer attempted to use a coupon for 10 cents off per gallon. The coupon allowed up to 20 uses, but Martin allegedly refused to honor it, kept it, and prevented the customer from pumping gas.
Surveillance video shows Martin walking outside, crumpling the coupon and throwing it at the customer before returning inside, the complaint said. When the customer tried another pump without success, Martin allegedly came back out, twisted the vehicle’s fuel door and caused $3,585 in damage. In a post-Miranda statement, Martin admitted to intentionally breaking the fuel door, according to the complaint.
The situation escalated when the customer put both hands around Martin’s neck, leaving red marks, investigators wrote. Court records do not indicate if the customer was charged.
The complaint also notes Martin’s past incidents at the same station, including a December 2022 case in which he admitted hitting a customer’s truck with the handle of his knife during a $5 gas dispute. That case was resolved through a diversion program and later dismissed.
Martin is out of custody and is scheduled to make his first court appearance Oct. 6 in Hennepin County District Court.
Court records show Martin has applied for a public defender and does not yet have an attorney listed.
A Holiday spokesperson said the company is aware of the charges against the employee, has launched an internal review, and will cooperate with investigators.