A Rocky Hill holdup last month is similar to a Saturday incident in South Brunswick.
By: Kara Fitzpatrick
ROCKY HILL Investigators are linking last month’s robbery of the Bank of America on Washington Street to a Saturday heist that occurred at a PNC Bank in South Brunswick.
According to South Brunswick Police Detective James Ryan, there was a "similarity between both jobs."
Mr. Ryan said the suspect in both incidents handed the teller a note to obtain the cash. In addition, in both cases, the suspect kept one hand covered, informing the teller he had a gun although no weapon was visible.
Mr. Ryan said the image seized from a surveillance camera at the PNC Bank shows a suspect with similar features to the one recorded at the Bank of America last month during the robbery.
State Police detectives, who are investigating the Rocky Hill robbery, are working together with South Brunswick detectives, Detective Ryan said.
Other clues have led officials to believe the two crimes were connected, including the close proximity of the two branches and the fact that both incidents occurred on Saturdays.
The suspect, described as a black male in his mid-20s, took more than $2,000 during the robbery in South Brunswick. After taking the cash, he walked out of the bank, but it is not known how the suspect fled the area.
On April 30, a clean-shaven black male, believed to be 18 to 25 years old, robbed the Bank of America shortly after 11 a.m. Using a note to demand money, the suspect left the branch with about $3,400, according to the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office.
According to the Prosecutor’s Office, witnesses were unsure which direction he took following the holdup.
Detective Ryan said the similarity of the two cases "are the strength for us to go forward," adding that patterns will be observed and "leads will be followed."
Detective John Klemas is leading the South Brunswick investigation, and anyone with information is asked to contact him at (732) 329-4646.
Those with information regarding the Rocky Hill robbery can contact the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Squad at (908) 575-3300, the Somerset County Crime Stoppers TIPS Line at (888) 577-TIPS or the State Police Hamilton Sub-Station at (609) 584-5015. All calls will be kept confidential.

