Police recently apprehended a Hackensack man whom authorities have referred to as the “Count Down Bandit.” The suspect allegedly committed a series of bank robberies throughout Bergen County and Passaic County, NJ.

The suspect reportedly robbed 10 different banks in Northern NJ, with a majority of the bank robberies occurring from July 2015 to March 2016. The suspect is accused of robbing banks located in Garfield, Glen Ridge, Lyndhurst, Maywood, New Milford, Oradell, River Edge, Rochelle Park, Wallington, and Wayne.

The suspect’s modus operandi in each bank robbery was reportedly the same: he approached a bank teller, ordered the employee to retrieve cash, and then counted down from 10 or 15 as the teller retrieved the money.

During at least one bank robbery, the suspect allegedly threatened to hurt bank workers if they did not give him the cash.

Numerous law enforcement agencies collaborated on the investigation, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, the Lyndhurst Police Department, and the Wayne Police Department.

In March 2016, the FBI offered a $5K reward to anyone who had information that might lead to the arrest and conviction of the bank robber.

Police eventually nabbed the suspect after he allegedly robbed Spencer Savings Bank in Wallington, New Jersey. FBI investigators thought the details of the bank robbery sounded similar to the other robberies, so they tracked the suspect to his residence on First Street in Hackensack, NJ.

Numerous police officers and federal agents then executed a search warrant at the home and placed the suspect under arrest without incident.

The suspect, who lives in Hackensack, NJ, faces criminal charges for 10 counts of robbery.

If the suspect is ultimately convicted on the bank robbery charges, he would be subject to significant criminal penalties. As set forth by N.J.S.A. 2C:15-1, robbery is ordinarily classified as a second degree felony and can result in a potential punishment of 5-10 years in New Jersey State Prison.

After being arrested and processed, the suspect was transported to the Bergen County Jail in Hackensack, New Jersey. He was ordered held at the jail on a $750K bail amount.

For additional information about this case, read the NJ.com article, “‘Count Down Bandit’ Bank Robber Arrested.”