Philadelphia, PA - Robbers Pull Off Biggest Bank Heist

Philadelphia, PA - Two masked men robbed a northeast Philadelphia bank of several hundred thousand dollars, the biggest bank robbery in recent city history, the FBI said.

Investigators declined to say how much was taken from the PNC Bank, but FBI spokeswoman Jerri Williams said it was much more than the $250,000 taken in a large heist two years ago.

Two armed men in dark-colored hooded sweat shirts and ski masks rushed an employee outside the bank as she was arriving for work just after 8 a.m., authorities said. The teller opened the door for other bank employees as they arrived, as normal, and the workers were held hostage while the robbers cleaned out the vault, teller drawers and ATM machines, the FBI said. During the robbery, the men used handheld radios to apparently communicate with others outside the bank, Williams said.
"This was not a robbery that was based on a desperate need for cash. This was a deliberate, planned robbery."

The robbers locked the employees in the vault before fleeing. The employees escaped by unlocking the vault from the inside.