DUBOIS – The man who police believe robbed a DuBois bank in December may have been involved in as many as six other Pennsylvania bank burglaries, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Sgt. Michael DiLullo of DuBois City Police said on Friday that he has been working with the FBI, and robberies in New Castle, Zelienople, Waynesburg, Grove City and Clarion all show similar characteristics with the DuBois robbery.
“From what they’re saying and they see, there’s a strong possibility that we’re looking at the same individual,” DiLullo said.
All of the robberies happened between April 12 and Feb. 23, and law enforcement agencies met with the FBI on Wednesday to discuss how they might be connected.
In every case the man is described as being a white and possibly Hispanic man in his early 30s to early 40s with a height of about 5 feet, 7 inches, to 5 feet, 9 inches tall. All of the cases are also similar in that the man either threatens the teller, saying he has a weapon, or gestures toward his waistband as if reaching for a weapon. In one case, he used profanity with the teller before punching her in the chest.”
“As you can see, there are a lot of similarities,” DiLullo said, adding that even though law enforcement has connected the cases, they cannot be 100 percent certain they involve the same man.
When First Commonwealth Bank on DuBois’ North Main Street was robbed Dec. 27, DiLullo said police followed up on 10 to 12 tips, taking officers as far as Punxsutawney, St. Marys and Emporium.
“As far as anything solid, we didn’t have anything.”
The FBI is offering a $1,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of the man involved, but DiLullo said he doubts the man is a local.
Following the DuBois robbery, officers were on the scene in a little over a minute, canvassing the area around the bank and looking in businesses on and near the area of the bank.
The man police are looking for is of average build and usually has a mustache. He wore sunglasses during each robbery. On two occasions, he wore clothing with a Cleveland Browns logo.
If you have information that could aid investigators, call the FBI at the North Pittsburgh Resident Agency at (724) 776-8801 or DuBois City Police at 371-2323.
Information on each of the cases the FBI has linked can be found here.