Tonight, I arrived home and picked up the Independent Press that someone had chucked onto my lawn.
was the top headline, front and center.
I couldn't make this shit up. Who'da thunk it in Chatham, huh?
"Chatham Police last week arrested a 39-year-old Jersey City man and charged him with trying to rob the Commerce Bank on Main Street. According to the FBI, after his arrest Huy Trong Luong admitted that he had committed a string of similar bank robberies dressed as a woman. The latest incident began on Monday, May 5, at 12:42 p.m. when Chatham Police received a 9-1-1 call that a bank robbery had just occurred at Commerce Bank at 425 Main St. As police responded to the scene they were given a description of the suspect as well as his vehicle, a green mini-van. As police approached the bank they observed someone who they believed was the suspect exiting the parking lot in a green mini-van.
Officer Daryle Kelly pulled the van over on Kings Road, but after a brief check of the driver he let him go. Moments later, further information developed at the scene indicated that the vehicle and driver that Officer Kelly had stopped fit the description of the person involved in the bank robbery.
Officer Kelly was again able to pull the vehicle over, this time with the help of other Chatham police officers as well as Sgt. Dennis Lam of the Madison Police Department.
The driver of the vehicle, later identified as Huy Trong Luong, was arrested without incident and transported to police headquarters for further investigation. According to police, Mr. Luong was identified by the bank teller as the individual who attempted to rob her only minutes earlier.
According to FBI agents, Mr. Luong approached the teller and passed her a note that read, "Empty all your money into this bag. I want all the banded 100's, 50's, 20's and 10's too. Do not make any stupid move or you will get hurt. When you are done, put this paper back into the bag too. Be quick, you got less than two minutes before somebody will get shot."
The teller hid underneath the counter and yelled for help, at which point Mr. Luong fled the bank.
Police say the suspect had entered the bank wearing a black wig, sunglasses, a black Dolce & Gabbana hat, a black jacket and bright red lipstick. All items were later found in his mini-van.
In addition to the disguise, police also recovered the cash and a hoax bomb in the van. The "bomb," which appeared to be three sticks of dynamite with fuses wrapped together, in reality consisted of Roman candle fireworks, officials said. According to the FBI, Mr. Luong confessed that he used the fake bomb to threaten tellers in bank robberies he had committed in Connecticut.
After his arrest and under questioning by Special Agents of the FBI, Mr. Luong admitted he had committed another seven bank robberies, four of them in New Jersey and three in Connecticut, as well as one other attempted robbery in New Jersey.
The FBI said Mr. Luong admitted to having robbed a Wachovia Bank in Greenwich, Conn., on Jan. 11, a Commerce Bank in Westport, Conn., on Jan. 13, a Provident Bank in Toms River on Jan. 22, a Commerce Bank in New Canaan, Conn., on April 21, a Commerce Bank in Stafford Township on April 28, a Commerce Bank in Bergenfield on April 30 and a Commerce Bank in Mahwah on May 4. In addition, he attempted to rob the Wachovia Bank in Highland Park on April 26, but the attempt failed. The total amount stolen in all the robberies was approximately $38,000.
As of last week Mr. Luong was only charged with the attempted robbery at Commerce Bank in Chatham. The investigation is continuing and other bank robbery charges are anticipated. The single attempted bank robbery charge carries a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in federal prison.
Mr. Luong, a native of Vietnam, was held without bail after being deemed a flight risk and a danger to the public. At the time of his arrest, Mr. Luong was on parole for aggravated assault. In addition, authorities said the suspect has a prior conviction for illegal possession of firearms.
Members from the Chatham Borough Detective Bureau, the Morris County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigation Section, Morris County Prosecutor's Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation all responded to the Chatham crime scene."
Mozilla, the developer responsible for Firefox, is going to attempt to set a new world record for the most software downloaded in one day.
