TD Bank in Great Neck Plaza was robbed on Monday night, in what police officials say may have been the latest in a string of related robberies of TD Bank branches in Nassau County.
An unidentified man entered the Great Neck bank at 6:51 p.m. and demanded money from the teller, according to Nassau County police.
The teller told the man to get a withdrawal slip and he responded “You don’t understand – I have a gun,” said Detective Sergeant John Giambrone, head of the NCPD’s robbery squad.
Although the man did not display a weapon, the teller complied, according to a release issued by Nassau County police. There were four employees and one customer in the bank at the time, police said.
After receiving the money, the man fled on foot through the bank’s parking lot and northbound on Great Neck Road.
Detectives described the suspect as black male, 30 to 35 years old and 5’9 feet tall with a medium build, a medium complexion and a scar on his left cheek. He was reported to be wearing a black and green jacket and a black knit hat.
The man is believed to have been present when a woman robbed a TD Bank in Garden City on Jan. 30, Giambrone said.
“We believe the Garden City robbery was carried out by the same individual,” Giambrone said.
The woman, Giambrone said, is also believed to have robbed a TD Bank in Old Westbury, and unsuccessfully attempted to rob TD Bank branches in Wantagh and East Meadow.
The theft at theTD Bank on 855 Franklin Ave. in Garden City was committed by a man and a woman, who fled on foot out the back door into the front parking lot after receiving an undisclosed amount of money.
Witnesses described the woman as 30 to 40 years old, 5’5 feet tall, and wearing a white hooded sweat jacket, black New York Yankee baseball cap and black pants.
The description of the male suspect in the Garden City robbery, Giambrone said, is identical to the one involved in the Great Neck robbery.
In the event that the robberies were carried out by the same man, Giambrone said, he believes the man is the woman’s partner. The man did not say anything during the Garden City robbery, but stood next to her the entire time and left with her, Giambrone said.
Giambrone said the earliest robbery was in Old Westbury on Jan. 24. The woman, Giambrone said, then made an unsuccessful attempt to rob a TD Bank in Wantagh. The suspect allegedly demanded $5,000 dollars, but the teller pressed the security alarm after noticing the suspect’s hoodie and dark gloves.
“Based on training and experience,” Giambrone said, “the woman’s appearance made her nervous.”
This was followed by another unsuccessful attempt in East Meadow, in which the teller issued her a dye pack, which exploded in the parking lot. The woman dropped the proceeds and fled, Giambrone said.
TD Bank security officials have been working the Nassau County police department to investigate the robberies, Giambrone said.
“Most of the people in bank security are retired law enforcement people,” Giambrone said. “We all work hand in hand.”
Employees of TD Bank in Great Neck declined to comment.
