It may not come as much consolation to the bank that was robbed, but the criminal mastermind who liberated a bag of cash from a security guard at Bank of America in Monroe, Wash., last week is getting plenty of acclaim for his unusual methods. His secret weapon wasn’t a tunnel under the vault, or Mission: Impossible-style high-tech gizmos – it was a listing on Craigslist, the free classified marketplace that was started by Craig Newmark in 1995 and is now one of the most popular websites in the world.
The bank robber apparently placed an ad looking for casual labourers to do some highway work near Monroe, and said to show up at a location near the bank wearing a yellow vest, safety goggles and a respirator mask. The criminal mastermind then stole the money while wearing the identical clothing. When police arrived, they found at least a dozen suspects matching a similar description.
The real thief’s escape was even more bizarre than the heist itself: He reportedly stripped off his vest and other clothing and escaped by floating down the Skykomish River on an inner tube. Police said they retrieved the tube, and believe the thief had accomplices who picked him up farther down the river.