Bloomfield Avenue Wells Fargo Robbed

Authorities are searching for a bank robber who stole approximately $2,000 from the Wells Fargo bank in Verona, police said Thursday.

The man, who was described by police as Hispanic and in his 20s, was last seen wearing a dark-colored hooded sweatshirt and a maroon New York Yankees hat, which Chief Doug Huber said officers may have recovered at the scene.

Huber confirmed a report that a county K-9 unit was tracking the suspect's scent, but lost track of it near Our Lady of the Lake Church on Lakeside Avenue.

The bank is located at 599 Bloomfield Ave., directly across the street from the Verona Municipal Complex.

Police say around 10 a.m. Thursday, the man handed a teller a note, and fled through the back entrance of the bank after being handed cash. It was not immediately known if a dye pack was utilized.

Traffic slowed along Bloomfield Avenue early this afternoon as officials from the Verona Police, the Essex County Sheriff's Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation set up a perimeter of yellow police tape and traffic cones in front of the bank and resumed their investigation inside.

Huber said the department was following up on leads, and working from a surveillance photograph of the suspect in their search. He said no one was injured.

Check back for additional information as it becomes available.