A 68-year-old New Jersey man is facing armed robbery charges after Boston police say he tried to hold up three downtown banks within the span of about an hour, demanding cash with notes and, at one point, claiming he had a gun. Anthony Matarazzo was taken into custody near Bank of America on Washington Street after officers matched him to descriptions from two earlier incidents that afternoon.
According to the Boston Police Department, officers assigned to District A-1 (Downtown) responded at approximately 12:17 p.m. on Saturday to a radio call for a removal at East West Bank, 68 Harrison Avenue. As reported by WCVB, a suspect there passed a note to a victim demanding $200, but the victim refused to hand over any money, and the suspect fled the area.
A Gun Claim at the Second Bank
About 20 minutes later, police were sent to a robbery-in-progress call at Cathay Bank on Washington Street, per the same WCVB account. There, a suspect handed a victim a note demanding $200 and claiming he had a gun before fleeing with an undisclosed amount of money. No firearm was recovered in connection with the case.
Officers then responded to a third call, this time at Bank of America, 630 Washington Street, where police received a report of a robbery around 12:44 p.m. The station notes that a suspect passed a note there indicating he intended to commit a robbery, but the victim refused the attempt. Officers at the scene were directed to a man matching the description of the suspect from the two prior robberies and detained him pending further investigation.
Cash and a Note Found During Booking
Police took the man into custody after positively identifying him as Matarazzo, of New Jersey. During booking, officers found a note in Matarazzo's chest pocket along with an undisclosed amount of cash, the outlet's report states. Matarazzo was expected to be arraigned Monday in Boston Municipal Court on armed robbery charges.
Under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 265, Section 17, a person who, while armed with a dangerous weapon, assaults another and robs, steals or takes money or property can face imprisonment in state prison for life or for any term of years, according to the Massachusetts Legislature.
The string of alleged holdups echoes other bank robbery cases that have cropped up around the region. In June, a New Hampshire man was sentenced to more than four years in prison for robbing five banks across Northern Massachusetts, according to the FBI's Boston Field Office.
