Brooklyn homeless man robbed bank, arrested for eating Chinese food in Chinatown

A TD Bank located at the intersection of 4th Avenue and 39th Street in Brooklyn recently became the scene of an armed robbery, allegedly involving a homeless man in his seventies. The suspect, identified as Joseph Jean-Louis, reportedly entered the bank around 9 a.m. on October 4, brandishing a firearm and threatening bank employees. After stealing $500 in cash, he managed to escape.

One hour later, police tracked him down using a GPS tracker embedded in the stolen bills, which led them to a Chinese restaurant, New Kim Tuong, situated at the corner of Chrystie Street and Hester Street in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Officers arrived just as Jean-Louis, dressed in a gray top and blue pants and about to leave after his meal, was apprehended. Notably, he did not have any weapons on him at the time of the arrest.

During interrogation, Jean-Louis adamantly denied that the cash in his possession was stolen, claiming it was part of his “Social Security benefits.” He also stated that he had received a loan of $50,000 from the bank.

As for his criminal background, Joseph Jean-Louis had previously served a year in prison for attempted robbery and had just been released from the Elmira Correctional Facility in July of this year. His parole is set to last until February 2025, and now he faces new charges including robbery, grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property, and making threats. Before this incident, he had been staying in a shelter in Kips Bay. Jean-Louis is scheduled to appear in Brooklyn Criminal Court on Saturday, October 12.