Maday made no secret of ID during bank robbery

Employees of the First American Bank branch in Bloomingdale didn't relish their surprise reunion Friday morning with their least favorite patron, Robert R. Maday.

But this time, the bank robbery suspect-turned-fugitive wasn't shy about sharing his identity.

"He walked in and one of the people who was on site said he was brandishing a gun," said John B. Ward, president of First American Bank. Maday robbed the same branch last November.

Maday, captured on video, approached a teller, possibly the only teller already on duty at 8:50 a.m., Ward said.

And, apparently - unlike Maday's past bank robberies, when he typically wore a dark ski mask - he didn't conceal his identity and even referred to it.

"I've heard that he asked, 'Have you been watching the news about the escaped bank robber?' and identified himself as that bank robber," Ward said.

He added he couldn't be sure whether Maday's purpose in identifying himself was to further intimidate the teller.

"Who's to know what's in the mind of a bank robber, but he was certainly forthright in identifying himself," Ward said.

Ward believes Maday may have been on the premises about five or six minutes before fleeing with an amount police have estimated as about $7,000.

"He was very calm, very precise about his instructions," Ward said.

Maday is suspected of having previously robbed the same First American Bank in Bloomingdale of about $17,100 on Nov. 6, 2008 - more than a month and a half before his arrest in Schaumburg on Dec. 29.

The First American Bank branch reopened at 1:30 p.m. Friday, after employees spent several hours working with police.

Employees seemed to be coping well, but counseling services remained available Friday to anyone who could benefit, Ward said.

He added that police suspected that the bank was on Maday's way from where he carjacked a woman in Hoffman Estates to the home of a relative or some other perceived safe place.