South Jersey Men Robbed Bank, Set Fire To Getaway Car: Police

Two South Jersey man have been federally charged with a bank robbery that took place in Cumberland County, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman said on Wednesday.

Nathan L. Wallace, 28, and Quintin L. Jones, 34, both of Vineland, are charged in separate complaints with one count of bank robbery. They have both been in state custody since they were arrested on similar charges in October.

Wallace and Jones are accused of robbing a Cape Bank in Upper Deerfield Township on Oct. 11, 2016.

According to bank employees and video surveillance, two men wearing black hooded sweatshirts entered the bank. While one man crouched near the entrance and pointed what appeared to be a black revolver at employees, the other man approached bank tellers and demanded them to put money in a bag.

Both robbers then fled in what employees described to police as a tan or gold vehicle with a black soft-top. Security cameras at the bank and an employee also captured pictures of the car.

Investigators identified the car as being a match for a Chrysler Sebring that was stolen on Sept. 22, 2016 during a carjacking in the parking lot of a Walmart in Mays Landing, Atlantic County.

On Oct. 15, 2016, New Jersey State Police responded to the scene of a car fire at a parking lot in Parvin State Park in Pittsgrove Township, Salem County. After firefighters extinguished the blaze, troopers determined this car was the same car stolen from Walmart.

Further investigation revealed that Wallace and Jones had bought a gas can at a Walmart in Vineland and then took a cab to a Wawa gas station near Parvin State Park, police said.

They then filled the can with gas shortly before the vehicle fire was reported, police said.

An employee at a local hotel in which Jones had been staying told police he saw Jones putting a large amount of cash in a bag.

Acting on this and other information, State Police later obtained state arrest warrants for Wallace and Jones, along with search warrants for their homes.

Police say a search of Wallace’s home revealed clothing consistent with the outfits worn by the two men during the Cape Bank robbery as well as a toy revolver, cash, gloves, and a car key that appeared to be for the Chrysler Sebring.

If convicted of the bank robbery charges, Wallace and Jones each face up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

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