Banks jacked back-to-back
Neighboring North End branches knocked over within minutes
Police are asking for the public’s help in catching a brazen bank heist suspect who held up two North End banks within minutes of each other Friday morning.
Photos of the scruffy suspect, said to be in his 30s, show a man carrying a stuffed CVS plastic bag.
Citizens Bank, located at 315 Hanover St., was robbed at 9:10 a.m. and a Santander Bank at 287 Hanover St., was robbed a mere 4 minutes later. The two banks are about 130 feet from one another and located on the same side of the street.
No weapons were shown, but the suspect gestured like he had one in his possession, according to Boston Police. There were no injuries reported. The suspect is a Hispanic male in his thirties. It remains unknown what the suspect stole.
The FBI was present at the scene.
Community members wishing to help with investigation anonymously are encouraged to call the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1 (800) 494-TIPS or by texting the word ‘TIP’ to CRIME (27463).
The BPD public journal for Friday shows three bank robberies and two street robberies.
In 2019, the FBI reported 2,160 commercial bank robberies. In Massachusetts alone, there were 58 bank robberies reported. Data shows they most commonly occur on Fridays between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.
Social media lit up right after the heists on one of the city’s most popular boulevards.
“Guess who is watching ‘The Town’ tonight?” one person joked, referring to the hit movie starring Ben Affleck, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Hall and Blake Lively based on Chuck Hogan’s 2004 novel “Prince of Thieves.”
The book chronicles a Charlestown-based group of bank robbers who lead the FBI on a wild ride through Boston as they hold up banks and even Fenway Park.
Investigators were seen leaving the banks with bags of evidence. Still, BPD put out the call to share any information anyone may have spotted on Hanover Street early Friday.
“BPD Community Alert,” police wrote late in the day, “The Boston Police Department is Seeking the Public’s Help to Identify Suspect Wanted in Connection to Recent Bank Robberies in the North End.”