Bank Robbery in New Port Richey

In a bizarre incident that occurred in early October, a man is being sought who robbed a bank on Little Road in New Port Richey while talking on his cell phone. Whether he was just caught mid-conversation or was purposely trying to distract onlookers is unclear, but what we do know is that the man slipped a bank teller a note demanding cash, and the bank teller obliged. With the money in hand, the unidentified man shoved it into a bank bag and left the bank, getting into a vehicle that later drove off. Police are not clear what type of vehicle he got into, or whether or not there was a driver who assisted the bank robber in his getaway.

While bank robberies are never a positive experience, there is some good news for the people of New Port Richey as far as this incident is concerned: there was no violence, and as far as can be seen, the unidentified assailant did not use any type of weapon. Whether or not violence was threatened in the note is currently unclear, but the note was certainly sufficiently threatening for the bank teller to do her job and hand over the money immediately in order to avoid the possibility of violence breaking out at all.

Perhaps the core question in this crime is this: why was the unidentified bank robber talking on the phone? It is possible, as has been mentioned, that he was trying to blend into his surroundings and not draw attention to himself. It is further possible that he was talking with his getaway driver the entire time, letting the driver know where the bank robber was in the process of the robbery so the driver could respond immediately to any changed in the situation. It is also possible that there was no good reason for the man to be talking on the phone at all – perhaps a friend called and he simply decided it was as good a time as any to have a chat. We may never truly know what was going on in the bank robber’s mind unless he is finally caught.

Police say the suspect is a six-foot tall Caucasian male wearing sunglasses and blue jeans. If you have any information, contact New Port Richey authorities.