BANK HEIST FOILED
SUSPECT BUSTED, CASH RETRIEVED IN RIDLEY PARK
Living up to their motto, “You can’t hide from Sector 5,” police officers from Ridley Park and Ridley Township nabbed an alleged bank robber within 15 minutes of the heist Thursday morning.
On Friday, Ridley Park Police Chief Robert Frazier said individuals were still returning some of the dollar bills the alleged robber, Duane Bedley, 35, of Clementine Street in Philadelphia, dropped as he made his getaway from a branch of the M& T Bank with an ill-gotten $3,361.
It was at 11:12 a.m. Thursday when Ridley Park police responded to a report of a robbery that just occurred at the bank, located at 11 E. Hinckley Ave. Bank employees called 911 and described the suspect as a black male in his 30s, medium height and built, wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and a black baseball hat. He was last seen fleeing the bank on foot.
According to information released by Frazier, a bank teller told police the suspect approached her counter and laid an M & T withdrawal/deposit slip in front of her.
“HAVE A BOMB HAND OVER MONEY,” was written on the slip.
The teller told police she could not see over the counter and did not know if the suspect was carrying anything.
“She said she was afraid for her life when she read that he had a bomb,” according to the charging document, written by Detective John Morris of the Ridley Park Police Department.
Police immediately began a search of the area and at one point, received information that a male matching the description of the suspect was seen running east into a wooded area in the 300 block of East Hinckley Avenue.
“This male was reportedly dropping paper money as he ran,” the document states.
Officers converged on the area and located an individual fleeing the woods, onto the 300 block of Comerford Avenue.
“The man refused commands to stop and ran toward the rear yards of houses on Comerford” and was attempting to hide between a house and a central air unit when spotted by police, the document states.
“When police approached the male, he ran again.”
According to the document, $700 was found where the man in question had been hiding. The man – who fit the description of the alleged bank robber was subsequently stopped by police on Chester Pike and Comerford Avenue. A civilian witness who was behind the suspect at the time of the robbery was transported to the scene of the pedestrian stop and positively identified him as the suspect from the bank.
The man, identified as Bedley, was taken into police custody at 11:27 a.m., by Cpl. Robert Quinlan and Patrolman Thomas Byrne Jr. of the Ridley Park Police Department and Cpl. Robert Ruskowski and Patrolman Robert Dukes of the Ridley Township Police Department. Ridley Park’s K-9 Jagr also assisted.
Police recovered a large amount of money along the path the suspect used to flee, and additional money was recovered on the suspect at the time of his arrest.
Bedley, who served five years in prison and another five on probation for a 2005 bank robbery in Philadelphia, reportedly confessed to the M&T job, according to authorities. In addition to robbery, he’s charged with theft, receiving stolen property and bomb threats. He is being held at the county prison in lieu of $100,000 cash bail, set by Magisterial District Judge Vincent D. Gallagher Jr. A preliminary hearing is listed for March 20 before Magisterial District Judge Jack D. Lippart.
It was not known if Bedley had retained an attorney.
Bedley’s criminal history also includes a 2014 theft at the Panera Bread restaurant in Springfield, for which was sentenced to six to 12 months at the county prison, plus probation; a 2005 drug offense in Philadelphia; and a theft/fraud case in Susquehanna Township.
Frazier said Bedley was not under any court supervision prior to Thursday’s incident.
As of Friday morning, Frazier said $3,211 of the stolen $3,361 was recovered.
In addition to Ridley Park and Ridley Township, Sector 5 includes Eddystone, Glenolden, Prospect Park, Norwood and Tinicum police departments. Following a police pursuit that resulted in an arrest at least five years ago, a civilian posted on Facebook, “You can’t hide from Sector 5.”
According to police, the comment evolved into a team motto for the seven departments, complete with T-shirts and decals.
Police recovered a large amount of money along the path the suspect used to flee, and additional money was recovered on the suspect at the time of his arrest.