the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Hackensack NJ, the Hackensack Police Department announces the arrest of Roderick Smith of Hackensack, NJ on several criminal charges stemming from a bank robbery investigation.
On January 18th, 2023 at approximately 4:30 P.M., Officers Denise Caero, Steven Lemanowicz, and Sergeant Franklin Bay responded to the TD Bank (540 River Street) on a report of a panic alarm activation.
Officers quickly determined that a male attempted to rob the bank by passing a note to a teller demanding money. The male also reported to the teller that he was in possession of a gun. He fled the scene without any proceeds and no one was hurt. The Detective Bureau, along with the Bergen County Sheriffs Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation responded to the scene and conducted an investigation. Det. St. Francesco Tripodi and Detective Demetrius Carroll spearheaded the investigation and identified Roderick Smith, with the assistance of the Bergen County Prosecutors Office Intel Unit. On February 7th, narcotics detectives along with their FBI counterparts spotted Smith on Anderson Street and arrested him without incident.
Smith was criminally charged with robbery / 2C: 15-1a(1), possession of a handgun / 2C:39-4, unlawful possession of a handgun / 2C:39-5, and terroristic threats / 2C: 12-3b. These charges are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Smith was processed and transported to the Bergen County Jail on a warrant.
The Hackensack Police Department would like to thank the Bergen County Sheriffs Office, the FBI, and The Bergen County Prosecutors Office for their assistance with this investigation.
The Hackensack police encourage anyone who witnesses a crime or has information about one to reach out to CrimeStoppers of Bergenfield, Englewood, Teaneck, Hackensack, and Bogota, which offers cash rewards of up to $1,000. Tips can be made anonymously at www.bergencrimestoppers.org or by calling 844-466-6789, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
