Queens Tribune

A Sikh and a rabbi walk into a bank…

For nearly two-years the beginning of this real-life-bad joke has been playing out at banks throughout Queens and Nassau. But detectives with the New York City Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Joint Bank Robbery Task Force need your help to write a good punch line.

A serial bank robber with a penchant for dress up is suspected in nine bank heists since beginning a stealing spree in May, 2006 – using various costumes and hoax weapons to frighten his victims and throw off investigators.

“He’s a potentially dangerous person who disguises himself to fit into the neighborhoods,” Detective Paul G. Courtney, an investigator with the task force, said. “He dresses as the ethnicity of the area.”

Described as a white male in his mid-50s, approximately six-feet tall, weighing approximately 300-pounds and sporting a full beard and mustache, the robber made his most recent attempt last Monday disguised as a turban-clad Sikh at a Chase Bank on Liberty Avenue in Richmond Hill. He was unsuccessful.

The robber also dressed up in what was described as a Hassidic Jew or rabbi costume during two attempts last month, escaping with $3,400 from one of the banks.
He has also been known to wear sports attire during robbery attempts, including a red University of Indiana basketball jacket in one instance, Courtney said.

In each of his attempts he has used what are believed to be fake weapons – devices made to appear like bombs or poison gas containers. He uses the props to frighten bank tellers while demanding cash.

“Instead of passing a deposit or withdrawal slip, he passes a note and produces a hoax device – an object that replicates a bomb,” Courtney said of the robber’s past attempts. “If he’s not getting anything he bails right away.”

The man is believed to use a personal vehicle during his robberies, often hitting multiple banks in short time spans, Courtney said. investigators have not yet identified a specific getaway vehicle.

Despite the robber’s ridiculous methods, catching him is no joke. Investigators are urging anyone facing him to refrain from heroics, as it is unknown how he will react if threatened.

“Walk to a safe area and dial 911,” Courtney said.
Anyone with information on the suspect can contact the NYPD’s Crimestoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS or contact the JBRTF at (212) 384-5000.