Crime & Safety
Brick Man Charged In Bank Robberies Was Convicted Robber
David D. Mitchell, 31, was released from prison in January; he was caught in Belmar following a Spring Lake Heights heist, officials said.
FREEHOLD, NJ — A Brick Township man facing charges following bank robberies in Ocean and Monmouth counties spent time in state prison for a previous bank robbery, prison records show.
David D. Mitchell, 31, of Brick, has been charged with two counts of second-degree robbery in the bank robberies Sunday and Monday in Point Pleasant and Spring Lake Heights, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni said Wednesday.
Mitchell had just been released from state prison in January following his conviction in a 2009 bank robbery, according to Department of Corrections records. He was paroled in 2015 following a seven-year prison sentence but was sent back to prison a short time later on robbery charges, according to prison system records. According to NJ.com, Mitchell robbed the Ocean First Bank branch on Adamston Road in Brick and hopped into a car driven by an accomplice. A customer followed them and called police. A chase ended in Toms River when the car crashed in front of a hotel and they ran off.
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On Monday, Mitchell was arrested following a report of a robbery at the Spring Lake Heights Ocean First Bank, Gramiccioni said.
Police responded to a panic alarm at the bank at 2401 Route 71 shortly before 4 p.m. Monday, the prosecutor's office said. Neptune City Police Officer Mark Mazzeo, who was driving through Belmar on his way back to Neptune City following a training session, heard the call, and a short time later saw Mitchell and arrested him, Gramiccioni said.
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On Sunday, employees at the TD Bank at 3301 Bridge Ave. in Point Pleasant told police the unmasked suspect displayed a note and demanded money, then took off on a bicycle. Police identified the suspect as Mitchell.
Sgt. Michael Matunas from the Spring Lake Heights Police Department and Detective Adam Hess of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office handled the Spring Lake Heights investigation.
Mitchell is being held at the Monmouth County jail, records show.
David D. Mitchell, Photo provided by Point Pleasant Police Department
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