Wood Dale bank first to be robbed in 2008

The start of each year always brings firsts.

The first baby born, the first law enacted, the first resolution broken.

And, in Wood Dale, a lone man who walked into a Jewel store at 8:10 a.m. Wednesday earned his own dubious distinction.

He became 2008's first bank robber in Chicago's five-collar county area when he demanded cash from a female teller in the TCF Bank branch inside the grocery store at 343 W. Irving Park Road.

No one was injured. The robber did not display a weapon before fleeing with an undisclosed amount of cash.

Authorities said he wandered through the grocery store for about five minutes before approaching the teller just minutes after the bank opened for business.

"There was no weapon implied," Wood Dale Deputy Chief Greg Vesta said. "He just told her to put the money in the bag."

The robber fled east out the store's front door. Police are canvassing the plaza and surrounding neighborhood in search of more surveillance footage or other clues.

The FBI is assisting.

Authorities said it marks the area's first reported bank robbery in 2008. Last year, 226 banks were robbed, down 20 percent from 2006's record high of 284.

Though Wood Dale hasn't had a bank robbery in several years, authorities are investigating whether the suspect may be linked to other incidents in the region.

"We have no indication this guy is a serial bank robber," said Tom Simon, an FBI special agent. "It doesn't fit any obvious patterns of unsolved bank robberies in Chicago and the surrounding area. However, we will compare every aspect of this bank robbery to unsolved cases to determine if a similar pattern exists."

Police described the suspect as in his mid-20s, about 5 feet 10 inches tall, with a thin build. He wore a black coat, black pants, white gym shoes and white baseball hat. A gray scarf covered much of his face. He wore gloves and was carrying a soft-sided dark brief case.

Anyone with information should contact the FBI's Chicago office at (312) 421-6700 or the Wood Dale Police Department at (630) 766-2060.