FBI offering $10,000 for help in finding serial bank robber nicknamed the ‘Route 91 Bandit’

By Eric Levenson, CNN

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is asking for the public’s help in locating a man nicknamed the “Route 91 Bandit,” who they say is responsible for at least 11 bank robberies in New England over the past five months.

The robberies all took place at banks along Interstate 91, the north-south highway that stretches from New Haven, Connecticut, to the US-Canada border.

The first robbery happened on September 9, 2021, at Arrha Credit Union in West Springfield, Massachusetts, and the most recent robbery was on January 27 at Franklin First Federal Credit Union in Greenfield, Massachusetts. In between, the robber hit banks as far south as Liberty Bank in Avon, Connecticut, and as far north as the Savings Bank of Walpole in Keene, New Hampshire.

The serial bank robber is described as a White man between 5 foot 6 inches and 5 foot 8 inches in height, with of medium build, with blue eyes and light-colored hair, typically wearing a hood or hat and white sneakers. The man has allegedly threatened to use a firearm, and he attempted to enter the bank vault during six of the robberies, the FBI said. He may be driving a newer model Nissan sedan, according to investigators.

One of the videos released by the FBI shows the suspect wearing a black sweatshirt reading “Post University” and the words “No Hall Like Ohall 2016-2017” on the back during the robbery on November 5 in Athol, Massachusetts.

In the video, which has no sound, the suspect enters the bank at 3:18 p.m. and presents a piece of paper to a bank employee sitting in an office. The suspect then corrals three bank employees into a back room, the video shows. They then return to an office and the employees hand the suspect two wads of cash before he departs out of the front door at 3:23 p.m.

The agency is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to his identification, arrest and conviction.

“In the interest of public safety, we’re asking anyone with information about this individual to contact us immediately. We need to put a stop to this man’s crime spree before someone gets hurt,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “He’s considered armed and dangerous so please take a close look at these images and reach out to us if you know who he is.”

Here’s the full list of banks the man robbed, according to the FBI:

• September 9, 2021, at around 10:21 a.m., Arrha Credit Union, 63 Park Ave., West Springfield, Massachusetts.
• September 20, 2021, at around 11:50 a.m., American Eagle Credit Union 201 Elm St., Enfield, Connecticut.
• October 4, 2021, at around 4:50 p.m., People’s United Bank, 479 Canal St., Brattleboro, Vermont.
• October 15, 2021, at around 10:45 a.m., Webster Bank, 2 North Road, East Windsor, Connecticut.
• October 22, 2021, at around 11:45 a.m., Webster Bank, 637 Main St., Somers, Connecticut.
• November 5, 2021, at around 3:18 p.m., Workers Credit Union, 107 Tower Road, Athol, Massachusetts.
• November 19, 2021, at around 4:42 p.m., Liberty Bank, 27 Dale Road, Avon, Connecticut.
• November 20, 2021, at around 8:46 a.m., Savings Bank of Walpole, 400 West St., Keene, New Hampshire.
• December 16, 2021, at around 11:48 a.m., Greenfield Cooperative Bank, 176 Avenue A, Montague, New Hampshire.
• January 6, 2022, at around 10:50 a.m., Keystone Bank, 122 Prospect Hill Road, East Windsor, Connecticut.
• January 27, 2022, at around 5:52 p.m., Franklin First Federal Credit Union, 57 Newton Street, Greenfield, Massachusetts.

Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the name of the highway where the robberies occurred. They were along Interstate 91.

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