John Ryder Admits to Machete Bank Robbery in Coventry

John Ryder, 28, of West Warwick, stormed into a BankRI branch in Coventry on May 2, 2016, wielding a machete and demanding cash. He left with $5,937 in hand, vanishing into a wooded area behind the shopping plaza—kicking off a federal investigation that would land him behind bars.

Ryder pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Providence to bank robbery by force, violence, and intimidation. No plea deal was filed. He admitted in court that in the days leading up to the heist—starting April 29—he scouted the area, staking out the plaza and the dense trees behind it, mapping his escape before striking.

On the day of the robbery, Ryder walked into the bank armed, threatening tellers with the blade. After grabbing the cash, he bolted out the back and disappeared into the woods—a path he’d clearly rehearsed. Surveillance later captured video of a man matching his build fleeing the area and jumping into a waiting vehicle that evening.

Investigators from the Coventry Police and FBI closed in fast. On May 6, they interviewed Ryder. Four days later, they obtained a warrant to search his phone—where they found photos of a man in the same clothing and mask as the robber, standing in the exact wooded spot used to flee the scene.

Ryder was arrested on May 13, 2016, by Coventry Police Detectives and FBI agents, with support from the West Warwick Police Department. He’s been held in federal custody ever since. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Milind M. Shah.

Ryder now faces sentencing on January 20, 2017, before U.S. District Court Chief Judge William E. Smith. The charges were brought by United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha, Coventry Police Chief John S. MacDonald, and Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Field Office.