FRACKVILLE - State police at Frackville released a composite drawing of a man wanted for stealing a car in Frackville Thursday afternoon and subsequently robbing a bank in the Schuylkill Mall, New Castle Township.
Trooper Melissa Kyper, the investigating officer, said the man is believed to be in his 20s or 30s, about 6 feet tall with a medium build. He was wearing a bandana and a hood to conceal his identity.
It was just after 3 p.m. when the man stole a vehicle from the parking lot of the Turkey Hill, Frackville, and went to National Penn Bank at the mall where he announced the robbery and made gestures consistent with his having a concealed firearm.
The man then made off with an undisclosed amount of cash, fled the bank on foot and then fled the mall parking lot in the stolen vehicle, Kyper said.
After leaving the bank, Kyper said, the man apparently made a second attempt at a robbery at the Wells Fargo Bank branch on Altamont Boulevard in West Mahanoy Township near Frackville but was unsuccessful in an attempt to enter that building.
He then drove to Frackville and the vehicle subsequently was found abandoned on Frack Street, Kyper said.
Kyper said the investigation is continuing and the stolen vehicle was taken into custody for forensic tests by the state police Forensic Services Unit, Reading.
Anyone with information on the stolen car, robbery or identity of the robber is asked to call troopers at 570-874-5300. All information will remain confidential.