A serial bank robber is striking around the central part of the state, and authorities are searching for a way to stop him.
Investigators with the Connecticut Intelligence Center said a masked man with a baseball cap and a thick European accent is behind robberies in Rocky Hill, Cromwell, Plainville, Southington, Bristol, Wallingford, Durham – and now possibly Middletown.
The suspect targets banks located near highway entrance ramps. Authorities said the robberies have all occurred toward the end of the business day.
Surveillance footage and witness descriptions have painted similar pictures of the suspect. Investigators said he typically wears a long black winter coat over a sweatshirt with the hood pulled up over a dark-brimmed baseball cap. He's usually clad in jeans, dark-colored shoes and a black face mask that exposes only his eyes.
The robber brandishes a blacksemi-automatic pistol and appears apologetic. He targets only money in cash register drawers rather than bank vaults, according to the CTIC.
Authorities described the suspect as a thin man in his 20s or 30s who appears to be of eastern European descent. Evidence has helped investigators put together a potential DNA profile, but police said they haven't found a match.
He may be driving a silver or gray 2001-2005 Volkswagen Passat GLS with a sunroof, bearing stolen license plates reading 914YJZ. Police said dye packs may have exploded in the vehicle.
Authorities emphasized that the registered owner of the plates, who lives in Farmington, is not implicated in any way.
Anyone with information on the suspect or vehicle is urged to call the Connecticut Intelligence Center at 860-250-5593 or email ctic.cr@ct.gov. Tips will be shared among investigating police departments.
