NEW YORK, NY—On Tuesday, July 28, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York announced that Eric Adjei, 47, had been charged with robbing a Chase Bank one week prior.
Adjei allegedly entered the Chase Bank at 401 Flatbush Avenue on July 21, at around 5:40 p.m. He wore a “distinctive” black-and-white horizontal-striped shirt, as well as a surgical mask. He was also wearing a green cap with a blue cloth placed over it.
According to court filings, Adjei went to the teller window and said: “I have a gun in my bag, give me $3,000.” He was given the $3,000 sum and “fled the bank, heading southbound on Flatbush Avenue.”
A New York Police Department officer identified Adjei after surveillance footage of him (with his mask pulled down) was recovered. After being arrested and shown an image of the robbery, Adjei positively identified himself and confessed to the crime.
Prosecutors also believe that Adjei may be linked to four robberies and attempted robberies at another Chase Bank on West 125th Street. Two of these occurred in 2017, one in 2019, and another in 2020.
After his arraignment for the July 21 robbery, Adjei allegedly told law enforcement officers that “once he was released from custody, he would again attempt to rob the Chase Bank branch located at 350 West 125th Street.”
The complaint can be viewed here. If convicted, Adjei faces a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
