Andrew Martins, Managing Editor
A 50-year-old man accused of conducting two bank robberies in the Somerset section of Franklin Township was formally charged with two counts of first degree robbery today.
Quintin D. Watson, of Hillsborough, was taken into custody by local and county law enforcement officials at approximately 7:30 p.m. on Friday, November 3.
Somerset County Prosecutor Michael H. Robertson, Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Chief of County Detectives John W. Fodor and Franklin Township Chief of Police Lawrence Roberts said in a joint announcement that the arrest was the result of a weeks long investigation into a string of bank robberies throughout the county.
According to Prosecutor Robertson, the first robbery took place just before 1 p.m. on September 3 when Franklin Township Police responded to an alarm activation at the TD Bank on Route 27.
Once police arrived on the scene, bank employees reported that an unknown black man had approached a bank teller and handed them a note announcing the robbery. After receiving an undisclosed amount of money from the teller, police said the man allegedly fled on foot. Detectives from the Franklin Township Police Department, and the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit responded to conduct the investigation.
The unidentified man was described as a dark skinned black male, standing approximately 6’2” tall and having a muscular build.
Officials said the second incident that Watson is allegedly responsible for took place at approximately 6 p.m. on November 1 when Franklin Township Police again responded to an alarm activation – this time at the Chase Bank on Elizabeth Avenue.
Like the September 3 robbery, bank employees told responding officers that an unknown black male approached a bank teller, handed them a note announcing the robbery and gestured to his waistband as if he had a weapon. Once he was handed an undisclosed amount of cash, the man again fled on foot.
As a result of the two robberies, detectives from the Franklin Township Police Department, the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit, the Crime Scene Investigations and Forensics Unit, along with Special Agents from the Franklin Township Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) field office, sprang into action and began an investigation.
Two days later, Watson was identified by authorities and apprehended without incident in a Hillsborough restaurant parking lot. Soon afterward, detectives executed a search warrant of Watson’s Stratford Court home.
Watson was charged with two counts of first degree robbery. He was subsequently taken to the Somerset County Jail, in Somerville, where he is being held without bail pending a detention hearing.
Officials said an ongoing investigation into a strong of recent bank robberies throughout central New Jersey could result in additional charges for Watson.
Anyone with information regarding either of the bank robberies is asked to contact the Somerset County Prosecutors Office Major Crimes Unit at 908-231-7100, the Franklin Township Police Department at 732-873-5533, the FBI Franklin Field Office at 908-231-2800, or via the STOPit app by downloading STOPit from Google Play or the Apple Store and enter the access code “SOMERSETNJ.” Tips can also be submitted through the Somerset County Crime Stoppers’ Tip Line at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477) or online at www.888577tips.org or www.scpo.net and click on either “Crime Stoppers” or “TIPS HOTLINE.” All anonymous Crime Stopper tips will be kept confidential.
