Hazlet Man Charged With Middletown Bank Robbery

photo via Middletown PD’s facebook page

Justin Rafalko, 25, of Sycamore Drive in Hazlet was charged with robbing the TD Bank branch on Harmony Road in Middletown, according to a statement by Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.

Rafaldo entered the bank at around 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, approached a teller with a note that indicated he was armed and demanding money. He fled the scene on a bicycle.

The Keansburg police apprehended Rafalko later on Saturday along the Henry Hudson Trail. He was identified via surveillance video.

The investigation was a cooperative effort of the Monmouth County Prosectuor’s Office, the Middletown Police Department, the Hazlet Police Department and the FBI.

“This was a great team effort by all the law enforcement agencies involved to bring this case to a swift conclusion,” said Prosecutor Gramiccioni.

“In addition to the outstanding work by all of the agencies involved in the investigation of this case, we would also like to thank the general public which provided numerous tips in the aftermath of this crime,” said Chief Craig Weber of the Middletown PD.

Rafalko is being held in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution, Freehold Township, on $200,000 bail with no option to post ten percent, as set by Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Leslie Ann Justus.

If convicted of Robbery, Rafalko faces a sentence of up to 20 years in a New Jersey state prison without parole, subject to the provisions of the “No Early Release Act” (NERA) requiring him to serve 85 percent of the sentence imposed before becoming eligible for release on parole. He would also be under parole supervision for five years following his release from state prison.