KEARNY –
For the second time in two weeks — exactly two weeks — the Schuyler Savings Bank on Davis Ave. has been the target of a robbery. The first heist occurred Thursday, Aug. 25; the second, last Thursday, Sept. 8. And following last week’s crime, a Kearny police officer risked his life in an attempt to apprehend a suspect.
Police said the lone bandit — described as a white male, about 5-foot-9 and wearing a hat and a long-haired wig — entered the bank shortly after 5 p.m. and handed a note to a teller demanding cash. This was the same MO as in the earlier robbery, and in neither instance was a weapon was displayed.
Authorities would not say if they believe the same individual was responsible for both hold-ups, nor was the amount of money taken revealed. The Aug. 25 crime occurred about 3:20 p.m., and that suspect was described only as a white male, age 30-35, wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap.
Among the KPD personnel responding to last week’s robbery alarm was Officer Steven Hroncich. Police said that while travelling on Schuyler Ave., only a few blocks from the bank branch, he noticed a northbound car operated by a man “dripping with sweat.” When Hroncich pulled the vehicle over, just south of Bergen Ave., he saw the driver reach for the floor mat and push what looked like a bag under the front seat.
At that point, police said, Hroncich leaned into the car and tried to take the keys, but the motorist put it in drive and started heading north again, with the officer still halfway in the vehicle. Hroncich was dragged about 100 feet, into the CVS lot, where he managed to free himself. Despite the hazardous situation, police said he was uninjured.
Further details were not available.
The ongoing investigation of both robberies is being conducted by the KPD in conjunction with the FBI.
