Berkeley Man Arrested After Flood Of Tips On Bank Robbery

“A flood of valuable information” prompted by social media postings had led to the arrest of a Berkeley Township man in connection with Monday’s bank robbery in Toms River, police said Tuesday.

Angelo Grenci, 39, of Liberta Drive, was arrested Tuesday morning at the Friendly’s restaurant on Route 37 west thanks to tipsters, said Ralph Stocco, spokesman for the Toms River Police Department.

“We would like to thank the media and the followers of our police Facebook page for having the willingness to getting involved.” Chief Mitchell A. Little said. “These partnerships are yielding results greater than we could have imagined just a few short years ago.”

Grenci has been charged in the robbery of the TD Bank at 10 Mule Road that occurred shortly after 4:30 p.m. on Monday. He is accused of writing a note demanding money on a bank slip and handing it a teller, then running out of the bank with an undisclosed amount of cash.

Stocco said Grenci is being held at the Ocean County Jail in lieu of $110,000 bail, and said he faces additional charges for weapons possession and using a false name at the time of his arrest.

Stocco said that within hours of posting the surveillance images on social media and with online news outlets, the tips started pouring in.

“In all, 145,000 people viewed the Toms River Police Department Facebook page, prompting a flood of valuable information,” he said.

Grenci was identified quickly and an overnight manhunt culminated in his arrest at the Friendly’s after a tipster told police Grenci would be at the restaurant at 9 a.m., Stocco said. Officers Brett Hansen, Ryan Parente, and Michael Gallipolli were the first to arrive and they found Grenci seated alone in a booth, Stocco said. Grenci was in possession of a large knife and attempted to use a false identity, but was taken into custody without incident, he said.