HAZLETON -- Police in Luzerne County are searching for the thief who robbed a bank Thursday morning. Police believe he also dropped some of the cash on his way out.
It happened after 10:30 a.m. at the PNC Bank, at the corner of Broad and Church Streets in Hazleton.
There were frightened tellers inside the PNC Bank on Broad Street in Hazleton. About $200 dollars was scattered on the bank floor, dropped by the bandit as he made his escape.
The incident had one woman so afraid of what happened, she asked that we not identify her. She was inside the bank when the robber demanded cash from a teller.
“I thank God to be alive, to be honest. He just pulled out a note. Others pull out guns, and this time around we were blessed to still be here and for him not to be shooting everybody in there.”
Hazleton police spent several hours inside the bank interviewing bank employees. At one point a police officer could be seen across the street, looking for evidence in the snow. Bank customers we talked to are not surprised about the holdup.
“With all the drug activity I am surprised there aren't more,” said Don Strohl of Hazleton. “The amount of work available, they don't have anything to do, so they get into recreational drugs and they get hooked on them.”
“I am not too surprised it happened but I am surprised here because you see crime is increasing, especially crime on Wyoming Street. I used to walk there at night but not anymore,” said Francisco Colon of Hazleton.
Police released security photos of the suspected robber.
