By: Dick Brinster
EAST WINDSOR The cops always like to catch the robbers red-handed.
And even though one suspect got away after taking an undisclosed amount of money Saturday from a branch of the Yardville National Bank, the statute of limitations on the dye that exploded in the man’s hands might not have expired.
"It lasts several days," East Windsor Police Chief William Spain said of the dye.
Police say anyone who noticed a person with red-stained hands or clothing could be helpful in the identification of a suspect. They are seeking information and ask for calls at 448-5678.
If the dye doesn’t lead them to their man, perhaps a surveillance camera photo police have released will result in the suspect’s apprehension.
Police said a man entered the bank at 18 Princeton-Hightstown Road at 11:07 a.m. and handed the teller a note announcing a robbery. They said he displayed no weapons and that no one was injured.
The bank teller complied with the man’s instructions and surrendered the money in her drawer, police said. The suspect then fled on foot.
A red dye pack placed with the money exploded after the suspect left the bank and was running through the adjacent parking lot of the East Windsor Town Center, police said.
The suspect was described as an Asian male, 25 to 35 years old, about 5 feet 6 inches tall with a slender build and short black hair possibly with gray on the sides. He was wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, a black baseball cap, blue jeans and brown shoes.
Police said the suspect uttered a few words and did not appear to have an accent. The branch was closed for the remainder of Saturday, but opened for business as usual on Monday. The branch does not have Sunday hours.
"We opened the branch in February 1995 and this is our first incident like this," said Frank Durand, first senior vice president for the bank headquartered in Hamilton Square. "We’re actively working with the East Windsor Police Department to get it solved."
Detective Michael Sapp is heading the investigation for the department. Also responding to the robbery were the FBI and the Mercer County Sheriff’s Department K-9 unit.
[vmo: optional ending: ]Earlier this month, a man who did not display a weapon got away with three bottles of painkillers after presenting a clerk with a note at Walgreens Pharmacy, also on Princeton-Hightstown Road. The suspect in that theft, which remained under investigation this week, was described as being white, in his mid 20s, 5-foot-10 to 6-feet tall and wearing a black knit winter cap, a dark blue or black sweatshirt and blue jeans with faded knees.

