Alarm: 42% more bank robberies in New York this year

Bank agencies, which have seen a 42% rise in robberies this year, are not immune to the rampant violence in New York.

There was 135 bank robberies from January 1 to October 23 compared to 95 during the same period in 2021, according to the NYPD.

There are cases as extreme as a TD Bank headquarters in Midtown East in Manhattan (57th St with 3rd Av) that has been robbed four times in 2022, from March to last month. A serial robber wearing a blue baseball cap entered the branch on October 20 and he handed over a note that said “This is a bank robbery, I have a gun, open the drawer and pass me the money”.

He did not display a weapon and fled with about $760, New York police said. The same bearded thief is a suspect in two of the other robberies at that branch in June and September, as well as 15 more in Queens and Manhattan in Chase, Citi and Santander banks, adding up to a total haul of around $15,000, according to NYPD.

That TD Bank branch was also held up on March 21 when another suspect made off with $1,268. “They start not to care… It’s sad”, told the New York Post about the thieves a guard who works there.

A TD Bank spokesperson said: “The safety of our customers and workers is a top priority. We have security measures in place, and when thefts occur, we work closely with law enforcement and offer programs to support affected TD employees.”

Nationwide, the number of bank robberies dropped from 2,440 in 2019 to 1,724 in 2021, perhaps because during the pandemic the number of bank branches open to the public dropped considerably. The national peak occurred in 1991 with 9,388 robberies.

Crime in NYC banks is not limited to robberies. In July, a Hispanic guard was stabbed by an angry customer at a Chase Bank branch on the Upper East Side of Manhattan (NYC).

It has also been reported violence due to the presence of homeless people and gang members in ATM facilities when the agencies close. In the summer of 2021 the Mexican Miguel Solórzano miraculously survived after being attacked with an ax while using a Chase Bank ATM in Lower Manhattan.

As well as the banks, the NYPD has warned about a growing insecurity in businesses and warehouses. Many owners have opted to reduce hours and lock up merchandise in the face of a rise in thefts at stores, pharmacies and bodegas, including deadly attacks on employees and customers.

The pandemic, the anti-police climate and penal reform have been identified as factors that have triggered crime and impunity in NYC. There are cases like the Hispanic Joel Colón, who in September had more than 90 arrests and was still free.