Hawthorne New Jersey police apprehended two men believed to have robbed a local bank.

The theft incident went down around 4:00 p.m. at the TD Bank on Lafayette Avenue in Hawthorne, NJ. According to bank employees, one of the suspects walked into the building and handed a threatening note to a bank teller. The note allegedly demanded that the bank worker hand over money.

The suspect got an undisclosed amount of cash and then ran out of the bank. Once outside the building, the suspect got into a black Mitsubishi and drove off.

The Hawthorne Police Department dispatched officers to the area, but the suspects were already gone. Investigators obtained surveillance video showing the robbery being committed.

Hawthorne police gave out information to police departments in surrounding areas and to the Pennsylvania State Police.

A Pennsylvania patrol officer later captured one of the suspects as he entered Pennsylvania. The suspect, a 20-year-old man who lives in East Stroudsburg, PA, was detained until detectives with the Hawthorne Police Department and the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force could interview him. He was then placed under arrest.

Just one day later, police arrested another man who allegedly participated in the Hawthorne NJ bank robbery. The suspect was apprehended when he showed up at Wayne Municipal Court in Wayne, NJ. The 44-year-old suspect, who lives in Little Falls, was at the court because he faced criminal charges in an unrelated case.

Both suspects have been charged with bank robbery. If they are convicted of robbery, they face significant criminal penalties. As set forth by N.J.S.A. 2C:15-1, anyone who purposely puts another person in fear of immediate bodily injury while committing a theft can be charged with a second degree felony. A conviction on second degree robbery charges could lead to a sentence of 5-10 years in New Jersey State Prison.

For further information about this case, view the NJ.com article, “Duo Charged with Hawthorne Bank Robbery.”