Woodbridge Bank Robbery Suspect Could Have Connections to West Orange Case

The description of a suspect in the July 23 bank robbery at Kearny Federal Savings on Pleasant Valley Way in West Orange, matches that of an individual suspected in another robbery Wednesday at Soveriegn Bank on Rahway Avenue in Woodbridge.

According to the FBI's BanditTracker, authorities are looking for a white male in his late 20s or early 30s, approximately 5'10", wearing a stocking mask with eyeglasses underneath and a white baseball cap.

The suspect of the West Orange robbery also is described as a white male in his early 30s, approximately 5'10", with a stocking cap, eyeglasses and wearing all black. In this robbery, the suspect did not wear a baseball cap.

Law enforcement sources who could not be named because they were not authorized to speak about the string of robberies, said the Woodbridge case is being coordinated by the FBI in connection with at least six other bank robbery investigations in the state, including the one in West Orange.

Excluding West Orange and Woodbridge, the other five cases include a robbery Aug. 2 at Bank of America, 32 Route 46 West, Montville, a robbery July 28 at Lakeland Savings Bank, 321 West Main St., Boonton, robberies July 8 at Mariners Bank, 242 Oradell Ave., Paramus, and Bank of America, 392 Route 22, Whitehouse and a robbery June 25 at Wachovia Bank, 1080 Broad St., Bloomfield. The latter three list the suspect as wearing all black, but with a baseball cap and ski mask, not a nylon sock.

In all the cases, according to BanditTracker, the suspect enters the bank with a handgun and demands cash. The amount taken during each robbery is not known at this time.

Anyone with information is asked to call the FBI at (973) 792-3000. The FBI urges the public to refer to the BanditTracker for more information on the robberies.

Check back to West Orange Patch or Montville Patch as we continue to track this story.