Man Charged In 2 Ocean County Bank Robberies Arrested In Middlesex County Bank Robbery

LAKEWOOD, NJ — A Howell Township man has been charged in connection with a robbery and an attempted robbery at two banks in Lakewood in June, Lakewood police said Wednesday.

Ivan Sevastianow, 67, has been charged with two counts of robbery, Capt. Gregory Staffordsmith said, after he was found to be in custody in Old Bridge in connection with a robbery there.

On June 30, Sevastianow walked into the Wells Fargo at 425 West Kennedy Blvd. and handed a bank teller a note demanding money, Staffordsmith said.

The teller denied his request, so he left the Wells Fargo and walked across the intersection to the TD Bank at 1601 Madison Ave., Staffordsmith said. At TD Bank, he repeated the process and handed the teller a note demanding money.

The TD Bank teller handed over about $1,500 in cash and Sevastianow left, and was last seen walking west on West Kennedy Boulevard, Staffordsmith said.

During his investigation, Officer Alex Guzman Jr. learned that the Old Bridge Township Police Department arrested a man on July 7 in connection to a bank robbery that had just occurred in their jurisdiction. Further investigation confirmed the man — identified as Ivan Sevastianow — was also responsible for the crimes in Lakewood, Staffordsmith said.

Sevastianow is being held at the Middlesex County Jail.