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May 18, 2007 11:41 am US/Eastern
'Mad Hatter' Bank Robber Confounds NJ Authorities
NEWARK (CBS/AP) ―
He's been dubbed "The Mad Hatter," but his eight-month string of bank robberies has been anything but a tea party for authorities in central and northern New Jersey.
The middle-aged bank robber known for his wide range of headgear struck again Wednesday when he came in out of the rain long enough to knock off a Commerce Bank in Metuchen and flee with an undisclosed amount of cash.
That upped the number of banks he has victimized to 15 since last September: seven in Union County, five in Morris County, two in Essex County and one in Middlesex County, according to the Union County prosecutor's office. Eleven have been Commerce banks. His total haul is well over $60,000.
Almost as extensive as his choice of banks is his choice of hats: a hunter's cap in one robbery, different types of baseball caps in others, a fisherman's hat in still another heist. They've earned him his nickname, which is derived from a top hat-wearing character in the children's classic "Alice In Wonderland."
Authorities have described him as a white man between 45 and 55 years old with gray hair, about 5-feet-10 and 180 pounds with a medium build. He has worn gold-rimmed prescription glasses in most of the robberies, but not all. At various times he has worn flannel shirts, painter's pants and a blazer.
He has been caught numerous times on bank security cameras from several different angles, yet still has managed to evade authorities. Authorities say he's average-looking enough to blend in with the rest of the bank customers in the suburban communities in which he has operated.
"This man is hiding in plain sight," Union County Prosecutor Theodore J. Romankow said. "What is remarkable about him is that he is unremarkable."
In contrast to the group of four bank robbers whose capture last month led to the accidental shooting of FBI Special Agent Barry Lee Bush—and whose tactics included shooting automatic weapons and leaping over countertops—the Hatter has operated quietly, usually giving a teller a note demanding money and then leaving without attracting the attention of other customers.
He was the subject of a segment on FOX's "America's Most Wanted" that aired twice in March and once in April, but authorities said the show generated very few leads.
Serial bank robbers are not an uncommon breed in New Jersey. In February, a Connecticut man pleaded guilty to robbing three banks in the Garden State in addition to 22 more in four other states, and last November a Camden man admitted robbing six banks in southern New Jersey over a five-month span.
One of the nation's most prolific bank robbers was Cazzie Williams, a postal worker from East Orange dubbed "the Puffy Cheek Bandit" who admitted robbing 18 New Jersey banks—and 27 overall -- between 1998 and 2000. Williams received a 13-year prison sentence in 2003.
Those cases all share one distinction that the Hatter's does not: they resulted in arrests. Authorities are appealing to the public by offering a reward for information leading to his arrest. The rewards are being offered by Crimestoppers, which operates anonymous tip lines in Union (908-654-TIPS) and Morris (973-COP-CALL) counties.
"Someone will recognize him," Romankow said. "It is only a matter of time."
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
