Police: Call With Info on Attempted Bank Robbery

Wyckoff police have requested the public's help in identifying a suspect wanted for the attempted robbery Saturday of Hudson City Savings Bank.

Thanks to a citizen's report, authorities now have more information about the man who they say passed a note demanding $1,000 or "whatever you have in the drawer" to a teller at the Godwin Avenue bank just before 10 a.m. The suspect did not leave with any money and had been last seen on foot on Godwin Avenue.

Police say the suspect is white, about 30 to 40 years old, with a thick, black mustache. He was wearing a red baseball cap emblazoned with a logo for Ohio State, police Chief Benjamin Fox said. Additionally, the suspect had on white sneakers, large sunglasses and a dark brown or black leather jacket, Fox said. The man was reportedly driving a four-door, black car that is believed to be an older model Nissan.

Fox said a citizen who saw the media reports of the Hudson City robbery attempt called to say he spotted the suspect that morning near the TD Bank on Wyckoff Avenue in Mahwah, near that municipality's border with the township. Surveillance tapes confirm that the suspect was inside TD Bank about 10 minutes prior to the Hudson City appearance, at 9:49 a.m. Fox said the man is seen walking into the bank, getting in line and leaving before making contact with any teller. The citizen reported that the suspect ran away after reaching the parking lot and got into his car, which was parked off-site, on Fairmount Avenue.

The chief is hopeful that someone will be able to identify the suspect. "People know people," he said.

The Wyckoff Police Department is the lead investigator on the case, which also has been referred to the FBI. Anyone with any information on the suspect is urged to call Detective Sgt. Joseph Soto at 201-891-2121.

Hudson City Savings Bank declined comment on the robbery attempt.