Masked Duo Rob Needham National Bank Branch on Route 1A-September 16, 1974

Uses Battering Ram in Second Heist at Location Within Six Months

Striking just weeks after a dramatic high-speed chase and shootout led to arrests in a previous heist, two masked robbers used an iron battering ram to smash through a plate glass window at the Needham National Bank branch in the Norwood Plaza on Route 1A at approximately 8:15 a.m. yesterday, escaping with the contents of the night deposit box.

Battering Ram Heist and Night Deposit Target

According to police reports, the suspects wore Halloween masks as they vaulted through the shattered window from an oversized white Dodge van. They carried a six-foot-long iron battering ram equipped with two-foot-long angle irons arranged in an arrow shape to breach the glass.

Inside the branch at the time were three female tellers and the bank manager, who were preparing for the 9:00 a.m. opening. None of the employees were injured. The robbers bypassed the main vault and teller cash drawers entirely, focusing exclusively on the night deposit box. The stolen deposits included funds from King’s department store, First National Store, and other local businesses situated in the Norwood Plaza.

Getaway Vehicle and Investigation

Shortly before 9:00 a.m., Norwood Patrolmen J. P. Flaherty, James A. Michienzi, Larry Gamel, and James W. Kelley located the getaway van abandoned with the motor running behind King’s department store. Police determined the vehicle had been stolen out of Medford, with both its ignition and rear door lock popped.

Investigators believe the robbers jumped a chain-link fence, ran down an embankment, and transferred to a waiting second car—potentially parked behind Atlantic Properties near the former Winslow Tannery. An eyewitness, 32-year-old Herbert Hughes of Denver, Colorado—who was near Windsor Pharmacy heading to a doughnut shop training center—reported hearing a suspect yell “Let’s go” as the van sped off. Police recovered a pair of plaid pants left behind during a quick clothing change, which a bank employee identified as having been worn by one of the perpetrators. Authorities are investigating whether a third or even fourth accomplice may have acted as drivers.

Local police are joined in the active investigation by State Police, FBI agents, and detectives from the Norfolk County District Attorney’s office.

The brazen robbery marks the second time this year that the exact same Route 1A bank branch has been targeted. On March 6, two masked gunmen stole between $10,000 and $15,000 before abandoning a stolen van near the Cleveland School. (Notably, just two weeks prior to yesterday’s holdup, two New York men were arrested following a high-speed pursuit and shootout for another Needham National Bank branch robbery on Route 1, resulting in the recovery of more than $20,000 in stolen cash).

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger