Police searching for suspect in string of south Queens bank robberies

Police are looking for a man in connection with a string of bank robberies yesterday in South Richmond Hill and Jamaica.

The incidents culminated with a robbery of Astoria Federal Savings Bank on 179-25 Hillside Avenue at about 10:20 a.m. The suspect entered the bank and passed a note to the teller demanding money, cops said. The teller handed him $3,300 and the man fled.

Before that incident police said the man also attempted to rob a Chase Bank on 103-48 Lefferts Blvd at about 9:14 and a Citi Bank on 121-11 Liberty Avenue a few minutes later using a similar method, but the tellers didn’t comply in either situation.

The suspect is described as a black male between 20-30 years old, about six feet tall and 185-200 pounds, authorities said. He was seen wearing black sunglasses, a tan shirt and a black lumberjack style hat in the Chase robbery. Then during the Citi Bank robbery incident he was wearing a red hooded sweatshirt, black lumberjack hat, black shoes and blue jeans.

Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS. The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers Website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or texting their tips to 274637(CRIMES) then enter TIP577.