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Mostly Cloudy Bold robber strikes twice in area
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The robber first hit the Roslyn Savings Bank, at 50 Hempstead Turnpike in West Hempstead, on Dec. 9 at 11:18 p.m., according to Nassau County Robbery Squad detectives. He passed a note to the teller demanding cash and was handed an undisclosed amount of money, as well as a dye pack that the teller stuffed in with the money.
As he was making his escape, the dye pack exploded, and the robber dropped the money bag in the parking lot and ran away, said Robbery Squad Detective Sgt. John Giambrone.
The same robber reappeared at Chase Bank, 10 N. Village Ave. in Rockville Centre, at 2:38 p.m., again passing a note to a teller demanding cash, Giambrone said. He got away with an undisclosed amount of money, fleeing south on North Village Avenue toward Merrick Road, according to the officer.
Giambrone said the robber hit the second bank because of the dye pack explosion at the first heist. The suspect did not display a weapon or threaten the use of one in either incident, he added.
"It's the same guy in both robberies, but he's new to us," said Giambrone, adding that the man did not fit the description of any bank robber the Robbery Squad has been tracking this year.
No one was reported injured in either heist. There was one customer in the bank during the West Hempstead robbery, and three were in the Chase branch during the Rockville Centre incident, Giambrone said.
The robber was described as a heavy-set white man in his late 30s or early 40s, 6 feet tall, with a dark mustache and a goatee. He was wearing a blue sweatshirt, blue jeans and a blue knit cap, police said.
The two heists bring to 81 the total number of Nassau County banks robbed thus far this year, well ahead of the 46 robbed by the same time last year, Giambrone said. Detectives have closed out most of the cases, making arrests of a number of serial bank robbers. "We've been pretty good with it," he said.
Most of the robberies are not committed because of the faltering economy, Giambrone said, explaining that heroin addiction appears to be the leading cause. "Most bank robberies are committed because of the addiction to drugs, alcohol or gambling," he said.
Giambrone added that banking officials met with Nassau County police officials in July in response to the wave of bank heists. "They discussed the security during the robberies, and how to make the bank a safer environment for customers and employees," the officer said. "We've seen some improvements that they were able to implement right away. We're hoping that in the future, more changes take place."
Giambrone said that bank robberies in Nassau County had ceased from the end of August until the end of October, "but now it's starting to pick up again."
Anyone with information on the Dec. 9 robberies is urged to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 244-TIPS. All calls will be kept strictly confidential, police said.
Comments about this story? JLipton@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 269.
As he was making his escape, the dye pack exploded, and the robber dropped the money bag in the parking lot and ran away, said Robbery Squad Detective Sgt. John Giambrone.
The same robber reappeared at Chase Bank, 10 N. Village Ave. in Rockville Centre, at 2:38 p.m., again passing a note to a teller demanding cash, Giambrone said. He got away with an undisclosed amount of money, fleeing south on North Village Avenue toward Merrick Road, according to the officer.
Giambrone said the robber hit the second bank because of the dye pack explosion at the first heist. The suspect did not display a weapon or threaten the use of one in either incident, he added.
"It's the same guy in both robberies, but he's new to us," said Giambrone, adding that the man did not fit the description of any bank robber the Robbery Squad has been tracking this year.
The robber was described as a heavy-set white man in his late 30s or early 40s, 6 feet tall, with a dark mustache and a goatee. He was wearing a blue sweatshirt, blue jeans and a blue knit cap, police said.
The two heists bring to 81 the total number of Nassau County banks robbed thus far this year, well ahead of the 46 robbed by the same time last year, Giambrone said. Detectives have closed out most of the cases, making arrests of a number of serial bank robbers. "We've been pretty good with it," he said.
Most of the robberies are not committed because of the faltering economy, Giambrone said, explaining that heroin addiction appears to be the leading cause. "Most bank robberies are committed because of the addiction to drugs, alcohol or gambling," he said.
Giambrone added that banking officials met with Nassau County police officials in July in response to the wave of bank heists. "They discussed the security during the robberies, and how to make the bank a safer environment for customers and employees," the officer said. "We've seen some improvements that they were able to implement right away. We're hoping that in the future, more changes take place."
Giambrone said that bank robberies in Nassau County had ceased from the end of August until the end of October, "but now it's starting to pick up again."
Anyone with information on the Dec. 9 robberies is urged to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 244-TIPS. All calls will be kept strictly confidential, police said.
Comments about this story? JLipton@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 269.
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