Red Bank police apprehended a Middletown man for allegedly robbing a borough bank on Tuesday morning, police officials said.
Patrol and detective units responded when the alarm was activated at the Shrewsbury State Bank, located at Foodtown, 362 Broad St. at about 10:50 a.m., according to police Capt. Mark F. Fitzgerald.
The responding police units received information that the alleged perpetrator had passed a note to a teller advising her to hand over $2,500 or she would be harmed, Fitzgerald said.
The money was given and the accused sped away in a white, four-door Chevrolet Cavalier, traveling north on Maple Avenue, according to information given to the police by bank employees, Fitzgerald said.
The alleged perpetrator was described by a bank employee as a white male, approximately 5 foot 9 inches, or 5 foot 10 inches tall, weighing 200 pounds, about 30 years old with a full, round face, needing a shave, dark hair, and wearing a New York Yankees hat and a dark overcoat, police said.
The surrounding towns were notified of the robbery and the description of the car and the accused, according to Fitzgerald.
Patrolman Thomas Meckier, assisted by Cpl. Daniel Murdoch, both of the Middletown Police Department, stopped a vehicle matching the description, at approximately 11:40 a.m. on the corner of Route 35 and Pine Street, in Middletown.
The driver of the car was identified as Phillip Michael Borgen, 23, Ocean Avenue, Middletown, who, according to the police, matched the description.
In the car, the police said they discovered $2,500, they believe to be the proceeds of the robbery and a hat and coat, which also matched the description given the police by witnesses.
Borgen was subsequently arrested and taken to the Red Bank Police Department, where he was positively identified, Fitzgerald said.
No weapon was shown or recovered during the alleged robbery, Fitzgerald said.
Borgen was charged with robbery and is currently being held at the Monmouth County Correc-tional Institution, Freehold, in lieu of $50,000 bail, according to Fitzgerald.
The investigation is ongoing with the cooperation of the Red Bank and Middletown police departments, the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, and the FBI. Sgt. Stephen McCarthy of the Red Bank police is in charge of the investigation, Fitzgerald said.
— John Burton