ARREST MADE IN CONNECTION WITH A BANK ROBBERY IN PEQUANNOCK TOWNSHIP

Published on October 01, 2019

Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp, Acting Chief of Investigations Christoph Kimker, and Pequannock Township Police Chief Brian C. Spring announce the arrest of Philip N. McGrantham, 69 years old, of Little Falls NJ, on charges related to a robbery that occurred on September 26, 2019 at the Wells Fargo Bank in Pequannock, NJ.

It is alleged that on September 26, 2019, law enforcement received a report of a bank robbery that occurred at the Wells Fargo Bank, 523 Route 23, in Pequannock. Subsequent investigation revealed that Philip N. McGrantham entered the bank branch and demanded money. After receiving a sum of cash, McGrantham then fled the scene in a red colored Hyundai SUV. It is further alleged that prior to the robbery, McGrantham made an anonymous, false 9-1-1 call as a ruse to divert the attention of law enforcement away from the Wells Fargo Bank.

McGrantham has been charged with one count of Robbery, a crime of the second degree in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:15-1a, and one count of False Public Alarm, a crime of the second degree in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:33-3a. The defendant has been lodged in the Passaic County Jail on a warrant-complaint issued in Passaic County for a separate charge.

Numerous law enforcement agencies took part in this investigation, including the Pequannock Township Police Department, the Morris County Sheriff's Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, the Wayne Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), and Morris County Prosecutor's Office Major Crimes Unit.

The charges and allegations are merely accusations, and the defendant is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Morris County Prosecutor's Office Major Crimes Unit at 973-285-6200 or the Pequannock Police Department at 973-835-1700.

Inquiries concerning this press release should be directed to pressinquiry@co.morris.nj.us.