By: Jeff Lipton
With the support of Gottlieb's family, police and bank officials upped the ante last Thursday in an attempt to find the murderer, announcing that the reward money had been increased from $2,000 to $27,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killer.
Police said they have been flooded with tips in the case, and have assigned more detectives in order to follow up on each one.
In announcing the increased reward money at a press conference attended by police, Gottlieb's wife, her oldest son, her brother and bank officials, Detective Sgt. Dennis Barry of the Nassau County Homicide Squad said detectives are not anxious about the lack of movement on the case.
"I don't know if there's a frustration level," Barry said. "We are pleased by the response from the public. There have been over a hundred leads which have come in, and we are actively investigating each and every one of those, and we will continue to do so.
"We are here to solicit additional help from the public, so there's not a frustration level. We welcome the response we have gotten so far, and we're seeking additional assistance, and hopefully we can get that key lead which leads us to this individual."
Gottlieb, 49, of Garden City South, a father of three, was driving home from HSBC Bank, at 125 Cedarhurst Ave. in Cedarhurst, on Jan. 5 in his 1998 Mercury when he was stopped at Semton Boulevard, just north of Fenworth Boulevard, at about 7 p.m. He was pulled over by a man driving an SUV with blue and white flashing lights.
After realizing that the man was not a police officer, Gottlieb demanded identification and a struggle ensued, police said. Gottlieb walked away and tried to summon help from neighbors, but was shot once in an arm and once in a leg, police said. He died at Mercy Medical Center in Rockville Centre from extensive blood loss, police added.
During the press conference, police confirmed that the killer apparently was after the keys to the Cedarhurst bank and not Gottlieb's car keys, as was initially believed. Neighbors told police that when they approached the mortally wounded Gottlieb after the shooting, he said that he stopped his car only because he thought the man was a police officer. According to Barry, Gottlieb also said, "He wanted my keys."
Barry said Gottlieb kept two sets of keys, one for his car and home and the other for the bank. "During the course of our subsequent investigation, we believe [the suspect] was looking for the keys to the bank, and that Mr. Gottlieb was targeted because of his position with the bank," Barry said.
Barry added that the car keys were in the ignition of Gottlieb's Mercury and the car was running, and that following the shooting, neighbors saw the gunman search Gottlieb's car, apparently looking for the bank keys. Those keys, which were not taken by the assailant, were still in Gottlieb's overcoat pocket, Barry said.
Police confirmed that they have been looking into whether there is a connection between Gottlieb's murder and a robbery on April 27, 2004, when an SUV with flashing lights and a siren pulled up behind a vehicle driven by a manager at Waldbaum's in the Bay Harbour Mall in North Lawrence. The manager was handcuffed, driven back to the supermarket and forced to open a safe containing $11,000, police said. An arrest in that case has not been made, Barry said. "We're looking into it to see if it is part of a pattern or if it is related," he said.
Homicide Detective Lt. Dennis Farrell said that in murder cases like this, it is essential for members of the public to come forward with any details that could lead to an arrest. He urged those with knowledge of the case, or who know someone who may have committed violent robberies or impersonated police, to come forward with information. Farrell praised HSBC Bank for stepping up with $25,000 on top of the $2,000 offered for reward by Crime Stoppers.
"This was a senseless crime that devastated Jim Gottlieb's family, left his colleagues and customers grieving and made the community fearful," David Kotheimer, HSBC Bank region president, said in a statement. "It is our sincere hope that this reward helps bring information forward that will solve this crime and ensure that nothing like this ever happens again."
John Grasso, a vice president of HSBC Bank, who attended last week's press conference, said, "Sometimes we try to make sense out of a senseless act. The reward that HSBC is offering really has nothing to do with the cause or the reason [the murder] happened. We just want to make sure that there's some closure for the family and that people are protected, because this is a dangerous situation. We want the public to know that the Nassau County Police Department is doing all they can, and we have a lot of confidence in them."
The killer is described as a black man, 38 to 40 years old, 5 feet 10 to 5 feet 11, with a medium build, police said. He was clean-shaven, had short-cropped hair and wore a paramilitary outfit, a dark military-style jacket over a black hooded sweatshirt, and dark pants that were tucked into laced-up combat boots. He was driving a large, dark-colored SUV similar to a Ford Expedition, which was equipped with a siren and flashing lights.
Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 244-TIPS. All calls will be kept strictly confidential, police said.
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