Suspect Sought In String Of Bank Robberies, Most Along Sixth Avenue

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The FBI believes a suspected serial bank robber is behind at least four incidents, the most recent of them on Tuesday.

The New York FBI-NYPD Joint Violent Crimes Task Force is offering a reward for information about the suspect they have dubbed "Americas Bandit" – whose robbery spree goes back to September of last year.

All of the bank robberies but the most recent one happened at banks on Sixth Avenue, or Avenue of the Americas, hence the moniker. The suspect even struck the same bank twice in as many days, the FBI said.

The suspect struck the Chase Bank at 340 Sixth Ave. on Sept. 23 and 25, the Citibank at 395 Sixth Ave. on Dec. 21, and the Bank of America at 670 Sixth Ave. on June 27.

The FBI believes the suspect struck again at the NorthEast Community Bank, at 242 W. 23rd St., on Tuesday afternoon.

The suspect is described as a black male in his mid-50s, standing about 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing about 180 to 190 pounds. He wore glasses and some type of hat in many of the instances and sometimes wore the hat backwards, the FBI said.

The FBI released surveillance images of the man in the most recent incident, and said the woman seen standing behind him may also be involved.

The suspect is believed to be armed and dangerous, the FBI said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the New York office of the FBI at (212) 384-5000, or the NYPD Crime Stoppers hotline at (800) 577-TIPS. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to an arrest.