Oakland Police Department Press Release
On April 15, 2013 at approximately 10:03 a.m. the Oakland Police Department received a 9-1-1 call reporting an armed robbery at the TD Bank located at 160 Ramapo Valley Road.
Officers responded and determined that the suspect had entered the branch and displayed a black handgun to one of the bank managers who was seated at one of the desks. Once all of the customers left the bank, the suspect proceeded to the rear of the teller’s counter and removed cash from the teller’s drawers. He then left the bank on foot heading northbound on Ramapo Valley Road. No shots were fired and no one sustained any injuries during the robbery.
A perimeter was maintained by members of the Oakland Police Department and the Franklin Lakes Police. A canine from the Bergen County Sheriff’s Department tracked the suspect to a nearby parking lot, where he entered a vehicle and fled the area.
All available information was broadcasted to surrounding jurisdictions. The crime scene was processed by the Bergen County Sheriff’s Department BCI Unit and agents from the FBI.
At approximately 10:40 am it was learned that members ofthe Waldwick and Ho-Ho-Kus Police
Departments apprehended the armed suspect in a stolen car on Route 17. The handgun used in the robbery along with all of the proceeds were recovered.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has charges pending against John E. Stevens, age 62, from New York City for numerous offenses, including bank robbery. Additional charges are pending from multiple jurisdictions including the 10th precinct in Manhattan where Stevens is wanted for a carjacking which took place on April 14, 2013. The vehicle stolen in the NYC carjacking is the same vehicle that Stevens used in the Oakiand robbery.
John Edward Stevens had been featured on America’s Most Wanted in the 1980’s and suspected of ‘ more than 25 robberies in eight states. He was arrested November 30, 1988 in Cincinnati, Ohio where he was found in a motel with his girlfriend. He spent in excess of 20 years in jail and was released from Federal prison in April, 2013
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Prior to his 1988 arrest, Stevens had been known to call up law enforcement offices and brag that he would never be caught. Click here to read news reports of 1988 arrest.