Man Accused Of Wayne Bank Robbery Also Charged In Morris County

WAYNE, NJ - A 69-year-old Little Falls man accused of robbing a bank in Wayne on Monday morning has been charged with a bank hold-up in Pequannock that occurred last week.

Phillip McGrantham was arrested Monday after authorities connected him to a reported hold up of a TD Bank on Valley Road in Wayne that morning. On Tuesday, Morris County Prosecutor Frederic Knapp said McGrantham was identified as the suspect in a Sept. 26 robbery of a Wells Fargo on Route 23 in Pequannock.

He is also accused of making an anonymous, false 911 call as a ruse to divert police attention away from the bank during the robbery, Knapp said. McGrantham has been charged with one count of robbery and one count of false public alarm, Knapp said.

On Monday, just before 10 a.m., Wayne police were called to the TD Bank at 281 Valley Road after receiving a report of a hold up panic alarm, according to Det. Captain Christian Wittig.

After confirming a bank robbery had occurred, township police, in conjunction with the FBI and Passaic County Sheriff's Department, launched an investigation that led to the arrest of Mcgrantham, Wittig said.

Police did not say how much money Mcgrantham stole.

Mcgrantham was charged with 1st degree robbery and 4th degree theft, Wittig said. He will be detained at Passaic County Jail pending his appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court, the captain said.

Authorities are continuing to investigate the robbery and anyone with information is asked to contact Wayne Police Detective Eric Clemente at clementee@waynetownship.com or 973-633-3531.