FBI seeks details on 'Skinny Jeans Bandit'

Surveillance photo of the suspet who robbed a Fifth Third Bank branch Dec. 8 in Cary. | photo from the FBI

(CROWN POINT, Ind.) Federal authorities are seeking information about a man they’ve dubbed the “Skinny Jeans Bandit,” who is suspected of robbing four banks in the Chicago area and northwest Indiana since November.

The most recent robbery happened Wednesday at the BMO Harris Bank branch at 10705 Broadway in Crown Point, according to the FBI.

Since November, the same man has struck three banks in the west and north suburbs, the FBI said. At least one of those banks was robbed at gunpoint.

He robbed a Chase Bank branch at 975 E. Belvidere Rd. in Grayslake on Dec. 26, according to the FBI. About 5:50 p.m. on Dec. 8, he used a gun to rob a Fifth Third Bank branch at 750 North West Highway in Cary.

The robbery spree began on Nov. 21, when he robbed a BMO Harris Bank branch at 850 W. Army Trail Rd. in Carol Stream, according to the FBI. He also attempted to rob a Chase Bank branch at 2301 Calumet Avenue in Valparaiso, Ind., on Dec. 23, but was unsuccessful.

He is described as a light-skinned black or Hispanic man in his 20s with short, cropped brown hair, a thin mustache and brown eyes, according to the FBI. He’s between 5-foot-9 and 6 feet tall with a smaller build.

He has been dubbed the Skinny Jeans Bandit because of the “preppy” clothes he wears during the heists, including skinny jeans, the FBI said. During the robbery in Cary, he was wearing a dark, zip-up jacket, a button-up shirt and eyeglasses.

Anyone with information about the robberies or the identity of the Skinny Jeans Bandit is asked to contact the FBI’s Merrillville, Ind., office at (219) 769-3719 or the Chicago office at (312) 421-6700.