MARBLEHEAD — A robber left law enforcement officials scratching their heads Tuesday as he managed to hit banks first in Swampscott, then minutes later in Marblehead, before disappearing as if into thin air.
The Marblehead robbery is particularly puzzling, given the difficulty of escaping the peninsula town with its limited access points.
The crime spree began at approximately 2 p.m. at the Sovereign Bank on Paradise Road in Swampscott. According to a press release from Swampscott Detective Tim Cassidy, the bandit was a white male, 6-foot-1, 160 pounds, wearing blue jeans and a gray, hooded sweatshirt with a bandana covering his face. He passed a note to the teller saying he had a gun.
He then took the note back, and no gun was shown. Meanwhile, the bank manager, not realizing what was happening, told the robber to remove his hood.
"No," he replied, "just give me the money."
Yet, he next ran from the bank without the money. He was last seen "running into the woods" near the Tedesco Country Club at Vinnin Square, according to Swampscott police Chief Ron Madigan.
His officers searched the area, joined promptly by police from Salem, Lynn, Marblehead and state police, including dogs.
"The state police air wing (helicopter) was overhead," Madigan said.
Eventually, the FBI joined the pursuit.
In the midst of the search, however, came word that the Bank of America on Pleasant Street in Marblehead had just been robbed by someone looking a lot like the man sought in Swampscott.
"Surveillance photos (from bank cameras) confirmed that the descriptions match," according to Cassidy.
Marblehead police were alerted to their robbery at 2:35 p.m., according to Chief Robert Picariello. "The suspect walked up to the teller and presented a note demanding money," according to his press release. "The suspect then departed the bank. No weapons were shown, and there were no injuries."
He added to the description, describing a man in his 20s wearing a hooded Nike sweatshirt with a tear on the right shoulder. "The suspect may have fled in an older-model, four-door, white sedan."
In a brief interview, Picariello acknowledged that there were reports of two holdup men, the white bank robber and a black man driving the getaway vehicle. Last seen by anyone, he said, a vehicle believed to be the getaway car was said to have driven the wrong way past the drive-through at the Marblehead Bank at the intersection of Lafayette and Humphrey streets, across from the Marblehead Community Center.
Expecting the suspects to head next for Salem, that city's police were ready and alert to the possibility that two banks might not be enough for this robber.
"All Salem units were cleared from Swampscott," according to the Salem police log at 2:45 p.m. And at least one officer kept "a high profile in the Vinnin Square area of Salem due to the numerous banks."
Yet, the robber then vanished.
As of last night, Madigan said, the investigation is ongoing.
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