YOU SAW IT HERE FIRST: A Rochelle Park bank customer suspecting something amiss snapped a cellphone shot of a robbery in progress this morning.
The robber — described as dark-skinned and possibly Hispanic, about 25 to 28 years old and 5-foot-10 to 6 feet tall — was carrying only a red plastic bag with “against the odds” written on it during the holdup of the Community Bank of Bergen County, Police Chief Robert Flannelly told CLIFFVIEW PILOT.
“No gloves. No mask. No weapon. No note,” the chief said.
The robber first entered the bank at 10:09 a.m. and “asked about cashing in coins” before leaving, Flannelly said.
He returned exactly five minutes later and told the teller: “Give me the money and no one gets hurt,” the chief said.
Except for teal sneakers, the robber was wearing all black — including a baseball cap with lettering on the front, a hoodie, a black puffy jacket with writing on the front and sweatpants. He also had an earring in his right lobe and a gold ring on his right pinkie, the chief said.
“A customer thought he seemed suspicious and took the cellphone photo,” Flannelly told CLIFFVIEW PILOT. “It’s an excellent shot. You get a good look at him.”
Workers on ladders can be seen tending to ceiling repairs nearby.
Exiting the Rochelle Avenue bank, the robber apparently hopped into a silver car that pulled out of the parking lot and headed toward Hackensack on Central Avenue, Flannelly said.
A Bergen County Sheriff’s K-9 unit joined police at the scene and bulletins were issued to area police for license-plate checks. The Bergen County Sheriff’s Bureau of Criminal Identification was collecting and processing evidence.
IMAGE: Courtesy ROCHELLE PARK POLICE CHIEF ROBERT FLANNELLY
