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TagsGloucester County man suspected in 7 bank heists
Seven banks over the span of a year were robbed in New Jersey and Delaware.
The bandit in each case was described as a white male, late 30's to early 40's, 5-10 and 200 pounds.
And he rode a bicycle to and from the bank.
Then on September 25, the case blew wide open.
On that morning, trooper Mike DiLeo stopped a 1997 white Dodge work van on the southbound Garden State Parkway in Somers Point for having a license plate that did not match the vehicle. The driver stated that he did not have a license or vehicle documents. When the trooper went back to his vehicle to check further, the driver fled south in the van for about one mile until he reached the Egg Harbor Tolls. Encountering heavy traffic at the tolls, the driver abandonded the van and fled briefly on foot before being caught and arrested by Trooper DiLeo.
DiLeo also gathered up a backpack that the driver had discarded during the foot pursuit and discovered that it contained a large amount of cash in money wrappers labeled "The Bank."Checks showed that the Carneys Point branch of The Bank in Salem County was robbed earlier that morning. State Police detectives and FBI Agent Joeseph Furey of the Northfield, Atlantic County office joined the investigation and quickly collected evidence tying the man to seven other robberies.
Brian Layton, 48, of Sunset Dr. Mt. Royal, New Jersey (Gloucester County) was charged by the New Jersey State Police with Eluding, Resisting Arrest, Receiving Stolen Property, and Hindering Apprehension. Judge Henry Broome, Jr. set bail at $10,000 full cash for those charges and Layton was turned over to the Carney's Point Police. There Layton was charged by Carneys Point Police based on a joint investigation by the FBI, South Jersey Resident Agency, working with New Jersey State Police detectives and local police. Cash bail for that robbery was set at $500,000.
State Police detectives executed a search warrant on Layton's van at Bass River State Police station on the Garden State Parkway. Additional evidence was recovered including a bicycle pump and a small amount of cash believed to be connected with the last bank robbery.
On Sept 29, 2009, FBI agents obtained a federal warrant for Layton for the bank robberies. Layton will be afforded an initial apprearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Schneider on Oct 9th in Camden. At that time, he will be remanded to federal custody.
— ANDY LAGOMARSINO, NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM