MANVILLE: Man, 20, charged with bank robbery

By Mary Ellen Day, Special Writer
   Somerset Savings Bank on South Main Street was robbed Monday, and the alleged thief, a 20-year-old Manville man, was nabbed about two hours later as he arrived at his girlfriend’s apartment.
   This may have been only the second bank robbery in Manville’s history.
   According to a press release put out late Tuesday afternoon from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office, Justin R. Burgess, of Dukes Parkway in Manville, was charged with first-degree robbery and third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.
   He was taken to the Somerset County Jail with bail set at $100,000.
   Shortly after 10 a.m. Monday, Manville police received a call reporting an armed robbery at the bank on South Main Street. Police said Mr. Burgess went into the bank, armed with a large knife and wearing a blue hoodie and black ski mask, and demanded money from a teller.
   The employee turned over an undisclosed amount of money, police said.
   Mr. Burgess left the bank on foot and went toward a nearby parking lot, police said. Bank employees said they recognized the man’s voice and clothing as a customer who had been in the branch several times over the past two to three weeks, as recently as Friday, police said.
   Manville police detectives investigated along with detectives from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Squad, Crime Scene Investigations and Forensics Unit, the FBI and the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit.
   Moments after the robbery, a white BMW automobile was observed leaving the parking lot, police said.
   Police learned Mr. Burgess’ girlfriend lived in Franklin Township and put her apartment under surveillance. Shortly after noon, the BMW arrived and was stopped by Franklin Township police detectives.
   Mr. Burgess was a passenger in the vehicle and had the money from the bank, police said. Police also found a dark blue hooded sweatshirt, gloves, ski mask and knife near where the white BMW had been parked.
   Police said no charges were filed against the driver of the BMW, but did not identify the person except to say the driver was not the girlfriend.
   Don, a marketing representative from the bank, could not give details Tuesday, but did acknowledge there was a robbery.
   ”Happily, everybody is safe, and nobody was hurt in the process,” he said.
   He did not know how many employees were in the bank at the time of the robbery. According to Don, who would not give his last name, the branch closed for the rest of the day Monday, which is standard procedure. It reopened Tuesday.
   An employee at Walgreens a few doors down said two bank employees came into Walgreens after the robbery and were “all worked up,” and one looked “very upset.”
   The bank has been in Manville since 1979, opening its first location in the Rustic Mall. Upon the demolition of the mall, the bank moved to its current location in June or July 2006.
   Anyone with more about the robbery is asked to call the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Squad at 908-231-7100, Manville police at 908-/725-1900 or the Somerset County Crime Stoppers’ tipline at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477). Anyone with information also can go online at www.888577tips.org or www.scpo.net and click on either “crime stoppers” or “tips hotline.”
   All calls are kept confidential.