Police have released CCTV of the moment a service station employee was stabbed during an armed robbery in the state’s Hunter Region.

A 47-year-old man was punched in the face and stabbed in the stomach when the three men robbed the Morpeth service station on January 20.

Press PLAY below to watch the horrifying moment

The group fled the scene in a stolen white Subaru Liberty.

The employee was taken to hospital but has since been released.

The following morning officers received reports of a group of males in the Edgeworth area attempting to break into parked cars.

Police attended and sighted the stolen white Subaru Liberty, during a search of the car police located a knife.

The two incidents are being treated as linked.

Detectives have included dashcam vision from a vehicle parked in the vicinity of the police pursuit at Edgeworth, that depicts four males walking past.

Police are urging anyone with information about the identity of the males to come forward immediately.

Press PLAY below to hear Ben break the news