Robbers Hit 2 Midtown Banks At Same Moment, Police Say

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — Two men tried to rob a pair of Midtown banks at the exact same time on Wednesday, with one making off with cash, police said.

Both incidents unfolded around 10:19 a.m. Wednesday, when one man entered a TD Bank on Third Avenue and East 57th Street, and another walked into an Apple Bank on Seventh Avenue near West 30th Street.

The man at the TD Bank approached the teller and passed a note demanding money and threatening to start shooting if it was not satisfied, police said. The teller gave the man an unspecified amount of cash, and he fled north on foot along Third Avenue.

More than a mile south, the man at the Apple Bank walked up to the teller, said he had a bomb and demanded money, police said. But the teller refused and the man left the bank, heading north along Seventh Avenue.

Authorities gave no indication that the two incidents were related.

Police released photos of both men and asked the public for help identifying them. The alleged TD Bank robber was described as a dark-skinned man between 50 and 60 years old, about 5 feet, 7 inches tall, last seen searing black pants, tan construction workboots, a black, long-sleeved hoodie, a black baseball cap, black-framed glasses and a face mask.

The unsuccessful Apple Bank robber in a dark-skinned man with a black Afro, last seen wearing a gray, long-sleeve button-down shirt, black pants and black shoes.

Police asked anyone with information to call the NYPD Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). People can also submit tips online or on Twitter, @NYPDTips.