By Calvin Palmer
Police have arrested a part-time insurance agent in his office at the Rockefeller Center, Manhattan, to face charges of robbing a Peekskill, New York, bank at knife-point.
Edward Solomon, 71, of Underhill Road, Ossining, is accused of stealing $5,900 from the Trustco bank in Peekskill shopping center on January 16, said police Lt. Eric Johansen.
Solomon allegedly entered the bank a few minutes after its 9 a.m opening Friday and wielded a knife to force an employee to let him into the teller area where he rifled the cash drawers, police said.
He drove off in a Lexus SUV, which police have impounded.
Solomon’s exact economic circumstances are unknown. He retired two years ago as an agent for Prudential Financial Inc. but was allowed to continue working with his established clients, company spokesman Bob DeFillippo said.
Solomon was arrested Wednesday afternoon and charged with robbery and grand larceny.
“We do believe we have a motive, but we’re not releasing that yet,” Johansen said.
Peekskill police Chief Eugene Tumolo theorized that in an economic downturn, “Many people who were living comfortably will now be driven to extreme measures as their income begins to dissolve and their style of living begins to diminish significantly.”
Solomon was arraigned this afternoon in Peekskill City Court. Bail was set at $100,000 cash or $250,000 bond. No plea was entered. His lawyer Vincent Briccetti, declined to comment.
[Based on reports by newsday.com and The Journal News.]
