Big Apple bank robberies have soared 42% this year, with a downtown TD bank hitting four times.
There have been 135 bank robberies through October 23, compared to 95 during the same period in 2021, according to the NYPD.
TD Bank, located on the bustling corner of East 57th Avenue and 3rd Avenue, has been attracting bandits since March, with the last heist taking place this month.
A serial thief wearing a blue baseball cap walked into the branch on October 20 and handed over a note saying “It’s a bank robbery, I have a gun, open the drawer and pass me the silver”.
He did not show a weapon and got away with about $760, the NYPD said.
The same bearded thief is suspected in two of the other robberies at the branch as well as 15 other burglaries in Queens and Manhattan at Chase, Citi and Santander banks – walking away with a total of around $15,000, police said .
Video from a May robbery at a Capital One branch in Queens shows the suspect, who is wearing a baseball cap with ‘New York’ on it and a zip-up sweatshirt, walking around the branch with a bag with paper supplies but without a mask or other facial treatment. covering.
The cheeky thief hit several branches repeatedly.
He reportedly hit the East 57th Street TD branch on June 8, taking home $520, and on September 1, walking away with $545, police said.
The branch was also robbed on March 21 when another suspect got away with $1,268, the NYPD said.
A targeted TD bank customer said she “wished” the news of all the robberies would “surprise me a bit more”.
“It makes me wonder more what times I want to stop by or use the ATM, or when I walk in if it looks like there are enough people, although sometimes it doesn’t seem a deterrent,” said said 28- a year-old female, who only gave her name as Lizzie.
A bank security officer was alarmed by the repeated thefts.
“They’re starting to not care,” the guard said of the robbers. “It’s sad.”
Nationally, the number of bank robberies increased from 2,440 in 2019 to 1,724 in 2021. The national peak came in 1991 with 9,388 robberies.
A TD Bank spokesperson said: “The safety of our customers and colleagues is a top priority. We have security measures in place, and when thefts occur, we work closely with law enforcement and offer programs to support affected TD colleagues.
