Neal Hornug is also suspected of robbing the same bank in June.
NORTH BERGEN -- Authorities say a suspected serial bank robber was caught red-handed Tuesday due partly to some astute cops who quickly recognized the robber's pattern from his alleged prior heists.
Shortly before 3 p.m. an employee of Popular Community Bank called police and reported a robbery, providing a description of the man and his direction of flight, information that was relayed to patrolling officers.
Two of those officers, detectives Robert Maldonaldo and Hector Botello, were in the area working a hunch that a bank would be robbed, based on a pattern of robberies that had emerged since April, the department said in a statement.
Cops arrest man suspected in 6 robberies
Shortly after the Popular robbery, the detectives spotted 51-year-old Neal Hornug of Belleville. Hornug was a suspect in the robbery of a TD Bank at 79th Street and Kennedy Boulevard in April as well as another robbery at the same Popular bank, in June. The detectives recognized Hornug from surveillance video and his car, a Ford Taurus wagon he allegedly used in other robberies.
Hornug led the detectives on a brief chase to Broad Avenue in Fairview, where he was arrested after surrendering. No one was injured in the pursuit, the department said.
The money from the Popular robbery was on the front passenger seat of Hornug's car, police said. Hornug, who has 12 prior convictions and had been released from his most recent jail term one week before the April robbery, was being processed Tuesday. North Bergen police and the FBI are also investigating to determine whether he will be charged in the earlier robberies.
Anyone with information on any of the robberies is being asked to call the detective bureau at 201-392-2092.
Paul Milo may be reached at pmilo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@PaulMilo2. Find NJ.com on Facebook.