Police investigate bank robbery, suspicious package at Frackville’s Miners Bank

KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SENTINEL PHOTO - Berks County Emergency Services' Special Operations Group at Frackville's Miners Bank on Friday afternoon.

FRACKVILLE – Police are searching for a bank robbery suspect after an incident at the Miners Bank branch just beyond Frackville borough limits.

Shortly after 9:00am, the bank was evacuated and a Pennsylvania State Police bomb squad was called in after tellers found a suspicious package in the lobby, after the bank robber had fled.

Video submitted to The Shenandoah Sentinel shows the alleged robber running from the bank. That video can be found at the bottom of this article.

According to police, the package found was removed from the bank. No other information was available.

A Pennsylvania State Police Forensic Services Unit was on scene investigating, and a Special Operations Group from Berks County searched the bank in fire turnout gear. Altamont Fire was on stand-by during the initial search.

Police officers from Shenandoah, Ashland, Frackville, Butler Township, and State Police at Frackville were also on scene, along with Shenandoah EMS.

The bank will be closed until further notice. No injuries were reported.

“First and foremost, all of our employees are safe and unharmed. We will continue to monitor the investigation and will have more information on when we will be reopening the branch” Brittany Zolko, Director of Communications for Mid Penn Bank, of which Miners Bank is a division, said in a statement.

“Well, I felt a little unsafe, because of how close we are to the bank, but I didn’t really feel too threatened, with all the cops around here, I didn’t think he was gonna be coming back or anything like that, but it definitely was scary” said Cheyne Oren, manager at the nearby Subway restaurant.

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