The Mad Hatter

[Griffin 6]

Okay, seriously, is there anyone here who did not suspect this?

http://www.amw.com/fugitives/brief.cfm?id=43932

Operation Mad Hatter

FBI Agents, cops, and analysts in northern New Jersey have created a task force with one objective: to find a serial bank robber they've dubbed "The Mad Hatter."

The robber, who earned his nickname because he wears a different hat every time he strikes, has hit 12 banks since September 2006. So far, he's up $60,000 in stolen bank money -- and he's making it look easy. But the search for the Mad Hatter has been far from a tea party.

The M.O.

Cops say the Mad Hatter simply walks into the banks, waits in line if he has to, then approaches a teller. According to cops, the robber always displays a handwritten note demanding large bills. Usually, the note contains a threat -- either implying he has a chemical substance in the folders he carries, or saying he has a gun. Once the tellers hand over the money, he casually walks out of the bank with the stolen cash.

From knit hats to baseball caps and bucket hats, the Mad Hatter always wears a hat during his robberies. Cops say he relies on the hats for several reasons: to hide his face from surveillance cameras, and to blend in with the other bank customers.

Cops credit the bandit's success to his chameleon-like ability to blend in with his surroundings. If it's a warm day, cops say the Mad Hatter wears a baseball cap. If it's chilly, he'll don a knit hat. He looks like an average guy -- so much, in fact, that even innocent town residents are being mistaken for the bandit.

According to police, the Mad Hatter looks like he's right at home inside the banks.

Leave No Evidence Behind

Cops say the Mad Hatter is careful not to leave any evidence behind in the banks. He doesn't wear gloves like some bank robbers might -- because that would stand out. Instead, cops say the robber stealthily uses his shirt sleeves to cover up his hands while entering and exiting the banks. While he's inside, he is vigilant about where he places his hands. He doesn't touch the counter, and he never hands the tellers anything. He takes his note, folder, and the money with him when he leaves. But cops say there's one main piece of evidence he can't take with him -- surveillance video.

Cops have surveillance footage from nearly all of the robberies. In most, the cameras capture clear shots of the Mad Hatter's face, despite his hat-wearing. But many of the clues they got from the footage involved a deep analysis of his movement and behavior during the robberies.

According to police, the Mad Hatter looks like he's right at home inside the banks. He's cool, calm, and collected as he waits in line, then threatens the tellers to hand over the money. At one bank, cops say he was unable to get any cash -- but he remained unrattled.

In the surveillance footage, he seems to be avoiding the cameras -- as if he knows exactly where to place himself to keep out of the cameras' view. According to cops, there might be a good reason for his comfort level. They believe the Mad Hatter may have a history working in banks. That's because during each robbery, he's used several banking terms such as, "dye packs," "strapped money," and "bait money," -- terms that the average person does not know.

Cops aren't sure if the Mad Hatter has a job. According to police, he usually strikes roughly every two weeks between Thursday and Sunday, and follows a consistent pattern in his timing. If he strikes on a weekday, it is after 5:00 p.m. If he robs a bank on the weekend, it is in the early afternoon. Cops speculate this could mean he has a regular job and is striking after he gets off work.


A Potential Lead Becomes Another Dead End

Cops thought they might have a break when surveillance cameras caught the Mad Hatter in a CVS store just an hour before one of the robberies. The surveillance footage shows the robber, dressed in the same clothing he wore during the robbery, entering the store and milling around the aisles.

Eventually, cops say the Mad Hatter made a purchase and walked calmly out of the store carrying a CVS bag. When cops went to the CVS and tracked down the receipt, they discovered the Mad Hatter had paid cash for Unisom - a sleep aid. There was no way to track him off the purchase, but cops were ready to work the potential lead in any way they could. They knew the Mad Hatter didn't have the CVS bag with him when he robbed the bank an hour after the purchase because of the bank surveillance. Cops determined that sometime between his CVS visit and the robbery, he'd disposed of the bag. Investigators dug through the trash bins outside of the store, and found one bag they hoped had the Mad Hatter's fingerprints on it. But forensics turned up nothing -- it was another dead end.

What Is He Doing With All The Money?

Because of his calm demeanor during the bank robberies, police do not believe the Mad Hatter is using the money to support a drug habit -- a typical bank robber's motive. One teller described the robber as having extremely white teeth -- which would also not be indicative of a drug habit.

Cops say the Mad Hatter was extremely apologetic during the first few robberies he committed, repeatedly saying he was deeply in debt and apologizing. Police are considering the possibility that the Mad Hatter has been laid off from a job and is using the money to replace his former income. Police also speculate his apologies could indicate he has a sick family member and large medical bills.

But cops say the Mad Hatter isn't someone to feel sorry for -- he's made several frightening threats throughout his bank robbing career. In one instance, cops say he implied he had a chemical weapon -- and he's said he has a gun in several others. Police say he's growing bolder with every robbery, and fear that he's getting too comfortable. They say there's no telling what the Mad Hatter might do next, or whether he's planning on making good on his threats.