White beard, white hat: Bergen bank hit -- hard

YOU READ IT HERE FIRST: A bank robber in a white hat carrying the end of a blowtorch made off with more than $10,000 after holding up a Hackensack bank and bolting in a silver, 4-door Honda Accord.

City police said the white-haired, goateed robber -- described as about 45 to 55 years old, 5'7" and 150 pounds -- was also wearing sunglasses and a blue jacket -- when he held up the Valley National Bank at 111 Hackensack Avenue just before 2 Thursday afternoon.

He handed the teller a note demanding money, showed a weapon inside a cloth, and made off with a substantial amount of cash, they said. Police recovered the metal piece and the cloth.

CLIFFVIEWPILOT.COM, as a policy, won't always disclose the amount taken. Doing so, the FBI believes, only encourages those who believe they could not only get away with such a crime but also make significant money.