Police Investigate

Fleet Bank Robbery

By Andrew Gorosko

Town police, state police, and FBI agents are investigating the March 13 robbery of Fleet Bank on Queen Street, which was the first local theft from a bank since a 1905 bank burglary.

About 10:15 am, a lone white male entered the bank and presented a note to a bank teller demanding money, said police spokesman Detective Robert Tvardzik, one of the investigators in the case.

After receiving the note, the teller handed over some money and triggered a silent alarm, alerting police of the robbery.

“The person was given a sum of money estimated to be several thousand dollars,” Det Tvardzik said. He declined to disclose how much money the bank robber received. Some reports have placed the amount as high as $10,000.

There were no injuries in the incident.

The bank robber then left the building and went to a nearby parking area. “The male was seen fleeing the area in a vehicle,” Det Tvardzik said.

“Police are following up several leads in the investigation,” he said.

 After the robbery, the bank locked its doors to the public for the remainder of the business day, as town, state and federal law enforcement personnel investigated the crime scene.

Inside the bank, investigators interviewed witnesses, took photographs, dusted for fingerprints, drew sketch maps and reviewed the surveillance videotapes made by bank security cameras.

Signs posted on the front and rear doors of the bank read “Office temporarily closed due to emergency.” The signs referred customers to Fleet Bank offices in Danbury and Bethel for their banking. While the bank was closed, many customers approached the entrances, but on reading the signs, walked away. Police afterwards strung yellow “police line” tape across the doorways to the bank, making it clear that entry was prohibited.

During the investigation, the town police utility vehicle and the state police Western District Major Crime Squad investigation van, plus several police cars, were parked near the bank, drawing the attention of curious onlookers.

During the height of the inquiry, about 15 town, state and federal investigators were involved in the case, Det Tvardzik said.

Detective Sergeant Henry Stormer said Thursday town police have two officers working full-time and three officers working part-time investigating the bank robbery. “We’re following up numerous leads…We’re interviewing potential witnesses,” he said.

According to one report, police obtained surveillance camera evidence of the man believed to be the bank robber at local gas station, where he bought gasoline about the time of the crime.

 “I can’t confirm or deny that story. We are checking with numerous local businesses where the suspect would have had an opportunity to go before or after the crime,” Sgt Stormer said.

Det Tvardzik declined to disclose whether the bank robber displayed a weapon in the incident. Other than to say the bank robber appeared to be in his mid-30s, the detective declined to describe his appearance, build, or clothing, or the vehicle in which the bank robber fled.

“We’ve got some good leads. We’ve got some very good leads we’re following up...We’re optimistic,” Det Tvardzik said. “We’re following all these leads, and we’re still collecting information,” he said.

The FBI is disseminating information describing the bank robbery, while town police are seeking the identity of the suspect in the case, Det Tvardzik said.

While the March 13 incident may be the first “bank robbery” in Newtown, it is hardly the first local robbery. Local gas stations, package stores, and pharmacies have been the targets of past robberies.

There have been several armed robberies in Newtown during the past several years.

In July 1999, 15-year-old Jason Gowdy of Sandy Hook was murdered on the corner of Riverside Road and Cherry Street, the victim of an armed robbery involving a handgun.

In March 1999, Queen Street Cleaners, a business in the same shopping plaza as Fleet Bank, became a robbery victim. It is unclear if that assailant had a weapon.

In January 1999, General Nutrition Center at Sand Hill Plaza was the target of an armed robbery, involving a handgun.

In September 1998, three teenage girls committed an armed robbery at Hawleyville Deli on Hawleyville Road, involving baseball bats.

In January 1996, TJ Maxx at Sand Hill Plaza was an armed robbery target, involving a sprayed chemical irritant.

Town police are asking anyone with any information on  the Fleet Bank robbery to contact them at the detective bureau at 426-5841, or at the anonymous tip line at 270-8888.