A Passaic New Jersey man has been accused of committing a bank robbery spree throughout New Jersey, including Passaic County, Hudson County, and Union County.
According to federal prosecutors, the suspect robbed at least five banks in 2016.
The first bank robbery occurred on June 24 at a Wells Fargo Bank located in Kearny, New Jersey. The suspect allegedly stole $2,500 during the Kearny bank robbery.
Three days later, on June 27, the suspect reportedly tried to rob a Capital One Bank in Elizabeth, NJ. That time, the suspect did not get any cash from the bank employees.
Three days after that, on June 30, the suspect reportedly entered a Wells Fargo Bank in Linden NJ and stole an undisclosed amount of cash.
The suspect also allegedly committed two bank robberies in July: The Wells Fargo Bank branch located in Clifton and the Wells Fargo Bank branch located in Linden NJ.
The suspect s modus operandi in all of the bank robberies was reportedly the same: he would give a bank teller a note that demanded money. During one of the robberies, the suspect allegedly told the bank teller that he was robbing her and that she had just 10 seconds to have over cash in large bills.
Additionally, the suspect allegedly brandished a handgun during at least two of the bank robberies.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the New Jersey State Parole Board, and several local police departments conducted an investigation into the bank robberies. FBI agents eventually connected the suspect to the bank robberies and placed him under arrest.
The suspect, a 25-year-old male who lives in Passaic, NJ, has been charged with four counts of bank robbery and one count of attempted bank robbery. He recently appeared in US District Court in Newark NJ for a preliminary hearing.
If the suspect is convicted on the federal bank robbery charges, he could potentially be sentenced to 20 years in prison.
For further information about this case, view the NJ.com article, “Passaic Man Charged in Bank Robbery Spree over 2 Months.”
