By Scott Brinton
The robbery at 15 Merrick Avenue occurred the day after the suspect had tried and failed at a bank heist in Bay Shore in Suffolk County and in Massapequa Park, and hours before he attempted but failed to rob a bank in Oceanside. In all, the suspect hit four banks in two days.
According to Det. Sgt. Gary Schriffen of the Nassau Robbery Squad, the suspect has evaded capture since November 1999, when he began his string of bank robberies. He is so slippery that, to date, bank surveillance cameras have been unable to film him clearly. His getaway car, described as a dark auto, has been spotted only once, in Suffolk County.
His method is similar for each robbery. He walks into a bank silently, unassumingly, concealing his robbery note in a newspaper tucked neatly under an arm. He hands the note demanding cash to a teller. He says nothing. "Many times, other employees don't even know a bank is being robbed," said Schriffen.
The detective said the suspect is likely responsible for 19 bank jobs; however, he has not succeeded each time. At the first sign he is spotted by another bank employee or customer, he "simply stops the robbery and walks away," Schriffen said.
The detective also said the suspect targets banks in areas with high pedestrian traffic, enabling him to walk out of the bank and easily become part of a crowd. "He blends in very well," Schriffen said, quickly adding, "He's been very lucky."
The suspect has never brandished a weapon. Once, however, he did threaten to shoot a teller. So far, he has hurt no one.
Before last week's rash of robbery attempts, the suspect had laid low since September, when he robbed a Syosset bank. Before that, he had committed several robberies in Plainview, Massapequa and Westbury and one in North Bellmore at the Dime Savings Bank of Williamsburgh on Jerusalem Avenue, around the corner from a Nassau County police station. In all, he has committed 12 robberies in Nassau and seven in Suffolk. "He is very sporadic," Schriffen said.
Police describe the suspect as white, 6-feet tall, in his mid-30's, wearing a beard, dark baseball cap with a red brim and a white logotype, and a dark jacket over a gray, hooded sweatshirt.
Police ask anyone with any information about this man to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS. All callers will remain anonymous.
