November 07, 2017
Courtesy/FBI/PPD Violent Crimes Task Force
According to investigators, the man pictured above is responsible for five robberies in which he brandished, or claimed to have, a gun in Northeast Philadelphia since October 18, 2017.
Surveillance images often help police solve crimes.
But what happens when those images resemble, oh, just about any Eagles fan in Northeast Philadelphia?
On Monday night, the FBI and Philadelphia Police Violent Crimes Task Force sent out a joint news blast “seeking the public’s assistance to identify and locate the armed subject responsible for robbing two Philadelphia banks in three days.”
Furthermore, the subject is “believed to be responsible for five robberies in the city in the past three weeks.”
This is a dangerous fellow.
And this dangerous fellow –as the released surveillance photos show – is quite a fan of the Philadelphia Eagles, what with his black Birds cap with green brim.
Sure, he’s worn other headwear, but the Eagles are the talk of the town, and that’s the lid he wore when he entered the TD Bank at 3930 Woodhaven Road at 12:15 p.m. on Oct. 28.
There, he “approached a teller, presented a threatening note that referenced a gun, and fled on foot. He was last seen heading north on Knights Road."
That robbery occurred six days after the Birds beat the Redskins, and on the eve of their win over the 49ers.
During one of five robberies for which he's believed responsible, the serial armed robber sported an Eagles hat.
This is not to make light of a dangerous situation, of course.
The man is believed responsible for robberies at the Freedom Credit Union (4900 Princeton Ave.) on Oct. 18, a Wawa (7912 Roosevelt Blvd.) in the wee hours of Halloween morning, Citizens Bank (10650 Bustleton Ave.) on Saturday.
At 2:19 p.m. Monday, the suspect struck again, presenting a threatening demand note to a teller at the PNC Bank at 2401 Welsh Road and displaying a gun tucked into his waistband, police said. He then fled with on foot with cash.
He is described as a white male in his late 20s to early 30s, about 6-feet tall and 180 pounds, medium build, with red hair and a scruffy red beard, according to police. In Monday's robbery he was observed wearing black-framed eyeglasses for the first time.
The suspect's worn a white, black or gray-hooded sweatshirt for each robbery and worn a variety of hats – including a black-brimmed hat with ear flaps, the black Eagles cap, and a red and blue baseball cap.
The FBI is offering an unspecified reward for information leading to his capture.
In addition, the Citizens Crime Commission of Philadelphia is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect in the October 18 Freedom Credit Union robbery.
Anyone with information about these robberies or this subject is asked to contact the FBI/PPD Violent Crimes Task Force at (215) 418-4000 or the Citizens Crime Commission at 215-546-TIPS (215-546-8477); tipsters can remain anonymous.
