Even with such a grammatically challenged missive, a teller at Hoboken's Haven Savings Bank on Washington Street got the message. She handed over $2,070 to an unarmed man before he left the bank.
After a chase and extra vigilance, police later arrested Marquez Gobantez, 57, a resident of 125th Street in Harlem.
Dare to be 'stupd'
The robbery occurred at approximately 2:24 p.m. when the female teller was allegedly handed the note, according to Sgt. Anthony Falco Jr.
The bank's securities manager, Joseph Tompkins, said the transaction took less than a minute to complete and that no one was hurt.
Moments later, Patrolmen Victor Lucatorto and Nicholas Burke, who happened to be in the vicinity and were unaware of the situation, observed Gobantez running from the area of the bank with a black plastic bag in his hands.
The police officers proceeded to chase the suspect on foot, but lost sight of him when he ran onto Bloomfield Street.
After speaking with a contractor who was on the street at the time of the chase, police were able to determine that the man was in the area of the 500 block of Bloomfield Street.
Clever police work
For almost an hour, police flooded the area with uniformed officers in search of the suspect, according to Falco, but were unable to locate him.
That is, until Sgt. Lourdes Labrador, a 16- year veteran of the force, spotted a man matching Gobantez's description exiting a building that was being renovated at 505 Bloomfield St. carrying a rolled up carpet on his shoulder. He held a paint can in the other hand.
The man was no longer wearing the sweatshirt he had on at the time of the robbery, and had paint splattered all over his clothing, according to the police report.
But the ruse didn't work.
Labrador detained Gobantez and radioed for the patrolmen who had seen the suspect fleeing earlier in the day. When Lucatorto and Burke arrived at the scene, they positively identified Gobantez who was taken into custody and brought to police headquarters, where he was charged with robbery and hindering apprehension.
Upon searching the suspect's body, police were allegedly able to recover $1,470, leaving $600 unaccounted for.
Since his arrest, Gobantez has been sent to the Hudson County Corrections Facility in Kearny, where he will await his court date.
The motivation
According to the police report, Gobantez told police that he came to Hoboken in search of work as a day laborer. After not finding anyone who would employ him, Gobantez allegedly told police that he was looking for another way to get money to buy food and clothing. Not wanting to rob an individual, Gobantez opted instead to allegedly hold up a bank.
According to police sources, Gobantez had an extensive criminal history.
"The Police Department did an excellent job of investigating this bank robbery and making an arrest," said Mayor David Roberts. "Their quick response sends the message to this community that our police officers do their jobs in an effective and professional way."
Michael Mullins can be reached at mmullins@hudsonreporter.com
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