Wantage NJ Bank Robbery ChargesA Wantage New Jersey man and his girlfriend were recently apprehended after allegedly robbing a local bank.

According to police, the 33-year-old male suspect walked into Lakeland Bank on Route 23 in Wantage, NJ. The suspect was allegedly armed with a handgun in his pocket when he entered the bank. However, at no point during the robbery did he show the weapon to anyone in the bank.

Once the suspect obtained cash from a bank teller, he reportedly walked out of the bank and fled the scene.

Bank employees alerted local police as soon as the suspect left. Troopers and K9 units canvassed the area in search of the suspects but were unable to locate them.

Authorities investigated the theft and conducted a lengthy investigation which lasted 16 days. The joint investigation included the FBI, the Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office, and New Jersey State Police.

The investigation included review of video surveillance footage from the bank and analysis of forensic and physical evidence from the scene. Investigators also interviewed several witnesses.

After the extensive investigation, police were able to find and capture both suspects without incident. The suspects are reportedly from Wantage NJ.

The suspects were charged with robbery, theft of movable property, and credit card fraud. The female suspect was also charged with hindering apprehension for allegedly assisting the male suspect after the robbery.

The male suspect was taken to the Sussex County Jail, where he was being held on a $500,000 bail amount. Meanwhile, the female suspect was taken to the jail and held there in lieu of $200,000 bail.

This was the second robbery of the Lakeland Bank in Wantage in less than a year. A 27-year-old suspect was charged with robbing the bank in February 2014.

 

For additional information about this case, access the NJ.com article entitled “Couple Charged with Wantage Bank Robbery.”