FBI: Two Admit to Hanover Bank Robbery; At Least One Fesses Up to Pine Brook Heist

The U.S. District Attorney's Office filed charges Wednesday against Nathaniel Barreto and Juan Perez, the two prime suspects in a string of northern New Jersey robberies, as well as one attempted heist.

One of those robberies took place in Pine Brook, but it's not clear from a criminal complaint provided by the United States Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey whether both men are considered suspects in that crime.

The individuals were apprehended Tuesday in Whippany following a 2:15 p.m. robbery at PNC Bank on Route 10 in Hanover Township. They each face one count of bank robbery related to that crime. Authorities have not yet released details on charges that may be coming related to the other incidents.

According to a release from the U.S. Attorney's office, Barrento, 28, entered the PNC Bank and demanded money at gunpoint. He left with approximately $4,500 and got into a green Acura driven by Perez, 20, the release states.

The two were apprehended following a search in a wooded section in Hanover Township after a witness wrote down the license plate number of the getaway vehicle in the Whippany robbery, authorities said.

Authorities had described the suspect in all the other robberies as a white male in his early 30s, approximately 5'10", with a stocking cap or ski mask, sometimes a baseball hat, eyeglasses and wearing all black. In the Whippany incident, a suspect was described as Hispanic.

Not including the Whippany robbery, the other eight incidents include a robbery attempt Aug. 9 at PNC Bank, 424 Broad St., Bloomfield; a robbery Aug. 4 at Sovereign Bank, 541 Rahway Ave., Woodbridge; a robbery Aug. 2 at Bank of America, 32 Route 46 West, Montville; a robbery July 28 at Lakeland Savings Bank, 321 West Main St., Boonton; a robbery July 23 at Kearny Federal Savings, 476 Pleasant Valley Way, West Orange; robberies July 8 at Mariners Bank, 242 Oradell Ave., Paramus, and Bank of America, 392 Route 22, Whitehouse; and a robbery June 25 at Wachovia Bank, 1080 Broad St., Bloomfield.

The criminal complaint, signed by FBI Special Agent Timothy Buckley, states Barreto admitted entering each of the nine banks with a handgun and demanding cash. Perez admitted to acting as Barreto's getaway driver on two of the robberies, including the one in Whippany, according to the complaint.

The pair made off with a total of $111,401 from the eight robberies, authorities said.

Perez was released on $125,000 bond with electronic monitoring. By order of magistrate judge Patty Shwartz, Barreto was detained.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, the two could each face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 if convicted.

The FBI urges the public to refer to the BanditTracker for more information on the robberies.