CrimeStoppers Tip Leads To an Arrest In Two Separate Bank Robberies
The Englewood Police Department, in conjunction with the FBI and the Hackensack Police Department, is announcing the arrest of 73-year-old John Nottingham, of Englewood, in connection with two separate bank robberies.
On October 20, 2018, the Valley National Bank, located at 111 Hackensack Avenue, Hackensack, was held up and the suspect was able to get away with over $10,000.00 in cash. After an exhaustive investigation with both the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office Intel Unit and the FBI's Bank Robbery Squad, Hackensack Detectives were able to identify and charge Nottingham with Armed Robbery and associated weapons charges on the State level. The FBI later filed a federal arrest warrant and efforts to locate and arrest Nottingham had been unsuccessful.
On February 2, 2019, another bank robbery occurred at the Bank of America, located at 21 Park Place in Englewood, and the suspect was able to get away with almost $3,000 in cash. Englewood detectives, as is protocol, contacted the FBI's Bank Robbery Squad for assistance. The FBI immediately noticed similarities between the two robberies and disclosed the Nottingham information from the Hackensack case.
The Englewood Police Department released security surveillance to the public, which detectives recovered during their investigation showing the unmasked suspect as he walked along Engle Street on the way to the February 2nd robbery. The images of the clean-shaven suspect strongly resembled Nottingham, who had a mustache during the Hackensack robbery in 2018. With the release of that video, the CrimeStoppers group that Englewood belongs to, along with Bergenfield, Bogota, Hackensack and Teaneck, announced an up to $1,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest of the suspect.
On February 15, 2019, as a result of a CrimeStoppers tip that Englewood detectives received, Nottingham was arrested without incident in the Shoprite supermarket, located in Englewood's Palisade Court shopping
In the ensuing investigation, it was determined that Nottingham had been staying on-and-off in a South Hackensack hotel room, A search of that room was conducted with the assistance of the FBI and the South Hackensack Police, which led to evidence that links him directly to the Englewood and Hackensack robberies. In addition, approximately $1,500 in cash was recovered that is believed to be proceeds from the Bank of America heist.
Nottingham was turned over to the FBI, brought before a Federal Judge in Newark and was ordered detained. Federal charges related to the Englewood incident are forthcoming.
This was a great example of an effective multi-jurisdictional investigation that resulted in two very serious crimes being solved. CrimeStoppers once again played an important role in bringing a serious case to a successful conclusion by fostering help from the public in cooperation with law enforcement officers.