Wannabe Bank Robber Strikes Out Twice In 1 Day, Police Say

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — The NYPD is trying to identify a man wanted in connection with two attempted bank robberies on the same day. One of the attempted robberies occurred on the Upper East Side and the other occurred in Midtown Manhattan, police said.

The man entered and HSBC Bank branch located on East 86th Street between Third and Lexington avenues around 11:30 Tuesday and approached a teller, police said. The suspect slipped the bank teller a note demanding money, but the stubborn bank employee refused, police said.

After being rebuffed, the man fled the bank empty handed, police said.

Not discouraged by his first failure, the man headed to Midtown in search of another bank to rob, police said. Around 12:40 the man entered a Capital One Bank on Park Avenue South and East 32nd Street and again handed a teller a note demanding money, police said.

Again, the bank teller refused to hand over any money, police said. Not dealing well with rejection, the would-be robber threatened to shoot up the bank before eventually fleeing without any cash, police said.

The suspect is described as a light-skinned man who was wearing a light blue surgical mask over his face during the robberies, police said. The man was also seen wearing a black hoodie, black pants and black gloves.

Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).

Photo by NYPD