New Jersey is a very interesting state, and lots of crazy things have happened here over the years. I’ve covered everything from German sabotage on New Jersey soil during WWI to unsolved murders and paranormal activity, but I haven’t yet talked about our most infamous robbery.
PNC Bank
Wikipedia/Agnostic Preacher’s Kid On November 27, 2008, around 8:40 pm, an alarm went off at the PNC Bank on routes 518 and 601 in Montgomery Township. Police responded to the scene and saw what they believed to be at least one shadowy suspect through the limited visibility of drawn blinds. (The PNC Bank pictured is in Washington DC.)
SWAT Teams
Flickr/Oregon Department of Transportation The police attempted to communicate with the suspect through phone calls and a bull horn, but received no response. SWAT teams were called in and nearby apartment buildings were evacuated. After over an hour (and with some reports saying the “standoff” lasted up to three hours), SWAT teams entered the building to find…
A life size cardboard cutout.
Flickr/Gage Skidmore The only “person” inside the bank was a life size cardboard cutout, used for advertising purposes. The over 30 officers from three towns who responded must not have been thrilled about this Thanksgiving day “heist.”
What set off the alarm is still unknown, but could have been anything from errant balloons to the smallest of mice. With the police diverting traffic and evacuating buildings, some Somerset County residents may remember this event, but few other New Jerseyans know this strange story.
Wikipedia/Agnostic Preacher’s Kid
On November 27, 2008, around 8:40 pm, an alarm went off at the PNC Bank on routes 518 and 601 in Montgomery Township. Police responded to the scene and saw what they believed to be at least one shadowy suspect through the limited visibility of drawn blinds. (The PNC Bank pictured is in Washington DC.)
Flickr/Oregon Department of Transportation
The police attempted to communicate with the suspect through phone calls and a bull horn, but received no response. SWAT teams were called in and nearby apartment buildings were evacuated. After over an hour (and with some reports saying the “standoff” lasted up to three hours), SWAT teams entered the building to find…
Flickr/Gage Skidmore
The only “person” inside the bank was a life size cardboard cutout, used for advertising purposes. The over 30 officers from three towns who responded must not have been thrilled about this Thanksgiving day “heist.”
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