An arrest and an indictment have been made in a pair of bank robberies and an attempted robbery that took place in the Bronx this summer.
Police say 52-year-old Rose Perez first struck a Hudson Valley Bank at East 149th Street between Courtlandt and Melrose avenues. On Friday, June 24. The second alleged, and failed, robbery occurred nearly two weeks later, on Tuesday, July 5 at the Apple Bank on Westchester Square.
Law enforcement officials say Perez then tried her third and final bank heist at the Capitol One branch on Melrose Avenue between Westchester Avenue and East 149th Street.
Perez is accused of holding up the banks by passing notes to tellers demanding envelopes full of bills. The first time on East 149th Street, she allegedly asked for $2,500 and walked away with $163.
The second time, at Westchester Square, she allegedly asked for an unspecified amount and fled on foot, empty handed. On Melrose Avenue, she allegedly asked for $600 and walked away with $2,700.
Perez was arrested at a women’s homeless shelter on Park Avenue and 67th Street in Manhattan on Monday, July 25. Eight days later, a Bronx grand jury indicted the 52-year-old Perez on 12 counts, which include third degree robbery, third degree larceny, third degree attempted robbery and third degree attempted larceny.
She faces a maximum of seven years for the robbery and larceny charges, and four years for the attempts.
Joe Regina, program coordinator for the Westchester Square Merchants Association, said the incident had shaken the Square’s business community and that he was glad to see police aggressively pursuing the case.
“Just to see tthat hey apprehended someone, is a positive,” Regina said. “I’d say we’re very happy around the Square, that these robberies are being taken seriously by the police.”
Perez’s bale was set at $20,000 bond or $10,000 cash. Her legal aid attorney did not return calls for comment. Her first pre-trial hearing is set for Thursday, August 25.
