There was an attempted robbery this morning at about 10:00 a.m. at the Citibank branch at 238 North Avenue, near Anderson and North. The bank was closed briefly but was re-opened by 11 a.m.
An All Points Bulletin was put out by the New Rochelle Police Department. The suspect was described as 6 foot tall, dark-skinned black male wearing a puffy black North Face jacket, wearing brown work boots. He reported moving in the direction of Huguenot from the bank branch.
UPDATE: Police are fanned across the City, continuing to search for the suspect. The FBI was called but has not yet responded to the scene.
UPDATE: Suspect gave teller a note demanding money but did not display a weapon. Teller refused and triggered the bank alarm. One bank employee, shaken by the experience, was taken to Sound Shore Medical Center for observation.
UPDATE: Talk of the Sound has one unconfirmed report that at the time of the robbery, Police Commissioner Carroll was presenting a report to the Police Foundation touting the low crime rate in New Rochelle.
UPDATE: Jim Killorin of Westchester Habitat for Humanity has been calling for an increased walking presence in downtown New Rochelle for the past four years, including, specifically, the corner of Huguenot Street and North Avenue. Killorin delivered a petition with thousands of signatures supporting the call for a greater walking police presence to the City Council after the Kevin Williams murder in broad daylight in front of the Chase Bank at 270 North Avenue.
“Over the past several years we have had numerous melees, robberies, stabbings, killings, people thrown through windows in the downtown area”, said Killorin. “Incidents like today are not pro-development no matter what size the business”.
Killorin noted that the downtown populations has increased by 3,000 people with little increase in pedestrian foot traffic. Killorin believes this is because many of the new downtown residents do not feel safe in the area.
Killorin has called an emergency meeting of the SoNo Neighborhood Association, tentatively scheduled for noon on Friday at Cormondel restaurant. Killorin expects residents, business owners, property owners and concerned citizens to attend.
Developing…
RELATED: “Ninjas” Attack Taxi Driver in Downtown New Rochelle, Throwing Rocks and Taunting Him
Large Group of Teens Descend on Downtown New Rochelle, 1 Arrest Made at Memorial Plaza.
ELSEWHERE:
Bank robbery attempt thwarted when teller just says no
Journal News: New Rochelle bank teller just says no to robber
Patch: Attempted Robbery at Citibank on North Avenue
Bank
The crime downtown Is out of control and what are the powers to be doing about it nothing. Our police comm. Is talking about giving taxi drivers drug tests and our mayor city Mgr. And city council are giving the deputy police comm. And parks comm. A 15,000 raise good job VOTE THEM ALL OUT
The people are mere pawns to the machine
Thats what happens when no one is watching the store. What exactly they have done to merit these raises is beyond comprehension… Hey it’s only taxpayer money
New Rochelle neeeds more cops
New Rochelle neeeds more cops
Disgusted!!
Its an absolute DISGRACE that the City implements a Hiring and Salary Freeze and then turns around and gives the Deputy Police Commissioner as well as the Parks and Rec Commissioner a combined $30,000 raise and has the audacity to say that these raises don’t effect the city’s budget??? The Police department has been without a contract for a year and the City continues their refusal to even sit down to negotiate because they are too concerned with trying to make the city “Green”….How about solving the real problems first people! Public Safety is of less and less concern nowadays I guess…..Sad!!! As Charlie Sheen would say, the citizens of NR are not WINNING and we need a City Government with Tigerblood!!
EDITOR’S NOTE: The City of New Rochelle has informed Talk of the Sound that there was no pay increase for the two people referenced above. The two were given a position with a different pay grade (a salary range) but that the salaries were unchanged. Bill Zimmerman and Capt. Murphy are receiving the same salary they received in 2009 and 2010. This information is available through FOIL.
send me the bumper sticker!
“we need a City Government with Tigerblood!!”
Warrants a full blown front page article
Mr. Cox,
I sincerely hope you take Baboo’s comment and do a feature story. There is much more to this and the comment listed barely scratches the surface. This is a prelude of things to come. It rivals Manager Strome’s statement about crime mapping in today’s Journal News,
He [Strome] said the Police Department and city officials would continue to use it [crime mapping] , calling it a “very powerful tool for us internally.”
The legislation passed to increase Zimmerman’s and Murphy’s “grade” will be a “very powerful tool for us [Strome] internally.” What’s most interesting is how and why the grade increase came about.
Fooled
These are the same two people who just turned down a an offer from the state to retire and receive 83% of the salaries..I believe they would have received close to a $125,000 pension…a month later they now receive raises which is what they are…don’t let the city fool you Mr Cox…what was the need or purpose for putting them in a postition with a “different pay grade”?…..where there is smoke there is fire!!!!!
No fooling
No one is fooling anyone. I have provided the information as I received it. So far I do not have any record that would contradict the statement from the City.