Portfolio at NYU

Posted 04.08.08
Experts: Busy bank bandit craves 'adrenaline rush'

By Vidya Padmanabhan

Originally published in the Daily Record, March 05, 2007

He has hit 11 banks and hauled in $40,000 since September, officials say. He operates in a relatively small radius in Morris, Essex and Union counties.

His quick getaways indicate intimate knowledge of the area, which may imply that others in the area know him. So what compels the Mad Hatter to keep pushing his luck?

"If they do keep it up, eventually their risk of getting caught increases," said Marcus Felson, professor of criminal justice at Rutgers University in Newark. "But they tell themselves, 'If I got away with it the last 10 times ...'"

The Mad Hatter, as the police have dubbed the serial bank robber for the variety of hats he has worn on his heists, has been clearly captured on security cameras.

He is 45 to 55 years old with silver hair visible under his fishing hat, hunting hat or Yankees cap; he's about 5 feet 10 inches tall, and wears gold-rimmed spectacles. His method is to approach a teller with a note warning that he is armed. He appears very calm, says little, and has never displayed a weapon. He brings his own bag to carry the money.

He has held up banks in Chatham, Florham Park, Morris Township, Springfield, Union, Summit, Berkeley Heights, Millburn and Livingston. His earliest heist was on Morris Avenue in Springfield in September, police believe.

"He probably loves having that cash," offered Robert McCrie, professor of security management at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. "He probably does it for the adrenaline rush."

The man's apparent age is a slight anomaly, experts say. A 1984 study published in Federal Probation, a U.S. Courts newsletter, profiled bank robbers as predominantly 26 to 30 years old, unemployed, uneducated, having no criminal record and committing fewer than four offenses. On the other hand, in 2003, 91-year-old J.L. Rountree robbed a bank in Abilene, Texas. And McCrie read aloud a newspaper article describing a heist in Georgia on Tuesday by two "smiling" girls who appeared to be as young as 16.

In general, "most bank robbers are younger, impetuous," McCrie said. "Their lives are not orderly. They often have a dependence on alcohol or drugs. They act out for easy cash to satisfy urgent needs. They don't spend a lot of time planning a robbery.

"This offender has learned this crime," McCrie added. "He's got his modus operandi of changing hats. Maybe he doesn't even wear glasses ordinarily."

In an age of lucrative, bloodless crimes such as identity theft and credit card fraud, can bank robbery ever reach the heights of notoriety that it did under John Dillinger and Willie Sutton? The number of bank robberies nationwide has declined from 7,582 in 1991 to 6,019 in 2005, McCrie said. With the rise in electronic banking and with an explosion in the number of bank branches, the take in each heist is not as great anymore, he said. The poor take also might explain the rise in cases of robbers who hit banks repeatedly, he said.

"You can't have a great heist anymore," Felson said. "But it's still a lot of money for one person."

In earlier times, bank robberies often were associated with bloodshed and left bank workers deeply traumatized.

"Teller stations would be shut down, counselors would be sent out," McCrie said. "These days, it's not so big a deal. Tellers are taught to comply with these robbers and get them out of there fast. 'Note-passers,' as they are called, are often not even armed. Prison sentences are much greater for armed robberies."

Banks often hand over bait money or throw in an exploding dye pack along with the cash to help track the robber, McCrie said. Whether this was the case in any of the Mad Hatter's heists is not clear.

Because he usually strikes between Thursday and Saturday. Felson theorized that it probably means that he has a job on the other days of the week. McCrie offered another explanation: He knows a lot of people get paid in the latter part of the week, so banks then are flush with money.

In 2005, the highest number of bank robberies took place on Fridays, McCrie added.

The Mad Hatter has lain low since his last heist, a Feb. 10 effort in Livingston.

Armed robberies believed by authorities to be copycat heists have taken place in Wharton and Morris Plains. A robber who was thwarted before he could carry out his plans in East Hanover admitted to being inspired by the Mad Hatter.

Meanwhile, authorities have set up a joint task force of law enforcement teams in Morris, Union and Essex counties to catch the bandit.

"All three counties have been sharing intelligence information and we are actively investigating these bank robberies," said Morris County Prosecutor Michael M. Rubbinaccio.

Anyone with information can call Union County Crimestoppers at (908) 654-TIPS, Morris County Crimestoppers at (973) COP CALL, or any local police department.