SETAUKET, N.Y. — A bank robber dressed as Star Wars villain Darth Vader made off with an undetermined amount of cash after pointing a handgun at startled tellers inside a Chase bank branch on Long Island.
Detectives say the stickup man walked into the bank shortly before noon Thursday wearing a full head mask and a blue cape. The only part of the uniform that was out of place was his camouflage pants.
Suffolk County police detective Sgt. William Lamb told reporters at least one customer at the time didn’t think the robbery was legitimate. The customer, whose identity was not released, can be seen cowering on the floor in a surveillance camera photo, moments after the holdup man shoved him away.
“The customer thought it might have been a joke and not a serious attempt at a robbery,” Lamb told the Daily News.
The only other description of the suspect was his height: between 6 feet and 6 feet 2 inches. He was last seen running across a parking lot.
“I thought it was pretty comical, but I guess this guy was pretty serious about needing some money,” Michael Aloisio, who works at a nearby restaurant and saw the bandit run past, told the New York Post.
Front Section, Pages 8 on 07/25/2010