Hapless robbery suspect leaves empty-handed from 5 different banks: NYPD

For one would-be bank robber, it was a long but very unsuccessful Monday afternoon in Manhattan.

Starting in Midtown and ending on the Upper East Side, the same man tried to rob five banks, each time getting turned away by an employee, the NYPD said.

The suspect was caught on surveillance cameras at every stop, as he passed the teller a note demanding money, was refused then walked out empty-handed.

Police say the same man did make off with money from an Apple Bank on Dec. 1, at West 30th Street and Sixth Avenue. In that incident, he approached a teller around noon, passed a note and was handed an undetermined amount of cash, police said.

The suspect can be seen in at least one surveillance image wearing what appear to be Apple earphones and dark jacket. He was described as 45 to 55 years old, bald with dark complexion, and was last seen wearing a red and white plaid shirt. No weapon was shown.

The bank robbery pattern is at least the fourth one the NYPD has tracked over the past several weeks, involving different suspects who attempt to rob multiple branches throughout the city. The assailants follow the same routine. In each case they walk into a bank, approach a teller and pass a note seeking money. They usually walk away if refused, although one man lunged over a counter at a Capital One bank on West 55th Street on Nov. 28, stealing a cash box containing more than $1,800, police said. He is still being sought.

On Monday, one particular suspect he was nothing if not determined.

Days after the theft at Apple Bank, police say the same man tried his luck at the five different banks, from Midtown to the Upper East Side. He started at 1:45 p.m., when he entered Valley National Bank at 30th Street and Fifth Avenue.

When the teller refused, he moved on, entering a Capital One branch at East 57th Street and Park Avenue around 2 p.m. Turned away there, he walked downtown to the HSBC on 40th Street and Park Avenue, where he again left empty-handed about a half-hour later.

Next, he headed back uptown, stepping into a Chase bank on 72nd Street and Lexington Avenue at about 3:20 p.m., police said. The teller refused to give him any money so he walked away.

His final stop was another Chase bank, this one on 86th Street and Second Avenue. At 4:45 p.m., the man walked into the branch, demanded money and was turned away.

Five banks and three hours after he began, the suspect had made off with exactly zero dollars.

Anyone with information should call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS or for Spanish 888-577-4782. The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at nypdcrimestoppers.com or texting their tips to 274637 then enter TIP577.