William Mateo, Bank Heist with Gunfire, NY 2016

A masked man armed with a semi-automatic handgun stormed into the Key Bank in Central Nyack, New York, on November 18, 2016, and walked out with $6,400 after firing a live round toward a bank teller. William Mateo, 24, of Valley Cottage, New York, was arrested in Elmsford just three days later and now faces federal charges for the daylight heist. No one was injured, but the bullet struck a wooden partition between teller stations, underscoring the brazen danger posed by the suspect.

Mateo entered the bank wearing a mask and gloves, approached two tellers, and demanded cash. After receiving the money, he fired a single round in the direction of one of the employees before fleeing the scene in a vehicle captured on surveillance. Witnesses spotted the getaway car, and investigators quickly linked it to Mateo. Evidence from the robbery, including video footage and forensic tracing, helped federal and local authorities track him down within days.

During a search of Mateo’s residence, law enforcement recovered a mask, a box of gloves matching those worn during the robbery, and a safe containing live ammunition, shell casings, and more than $2,000 in cash. Later, after arresting Mateo at a hotel in Elmsford, agents seized a semi-automatic handgun, a single glove, and a firearm magazine from his room—items directly tied to the crime.

According to court documents, Mateo admitted during a post-arrest statement that he committed the robbery and discharged the firearm inside the bank. His confession, combined with physical and digital evidence, solidified the case against him. The FBI’s Westchester County Safe Streets Task Force, alongside Clarkstown Police, worked around the clock to identify, surveil, and apprehend Mateo before he could strike again.

Mateo is charged with one count of bank robbery, which carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison, and one count of using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William F. Sweeney, and Clarkstown Acting Police Chief Captain Robert Mahon.

“Thanks to the investigative work of the FBI and Clarkstown Police, just three days after the bank robbery, Mateo is under arrest facing federal criminal charges,” Bharara stated. Sweeney emphasized the threat Mateo posed: “His alleged disregard for the harm he could have caused shows why it was extremely important to find and arrest him.” Chief Mahon praised his department’s collaboration with federal agents, calling the arrest a testament to “dedication and professionalism.” Mateo is scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Judith C. McCarthy in White Plains.