Homeless man arrested while trying to rob Jersey City bank

? A suspected serial bank robber called the ?Salt and Pepper Bandit? is behind bars after an alert security guard tackled him at a Jersey City bank Wednesday. Police say homeless man Joseph Catanio,

News 12 Staff

May 25, 2006, 3:25 AM

Updated 6,905 days ago

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? A suspected serial bank robber called the ?Salt and Pepper Bandit? is behind bars after an alert security guard tackled him at a Jersey City bank Wednesday.
Police say homeless man Joseph Catanio, who has salt-and-pepper hair, approached a teller with a note at the North Fork Bank on Route 440 and took $6,000. Guard George Barrascout says he became suspicious of the suspect after seeing the exchange, scuffled with him and pinned him down until police arrived.
Investigators believe Catanio, who recently started living in a hotel, also robbed a Bank of America Saturday. He was arrested Sunday for shoplifting, but released because police did not know he was connected to the other crimes. Catanio then allegedly robbed another bank Tuesday. Police are looking into whether Catanio robbed a total of seven banks since April.