N.J. Bike Bandit Nabbed

It turns that South Jersey's infamous bicycle bandit, a cross between Lance Armstrong and John Dillinger, isn't as agile on his feet.

Thanks in part to New Jersey traffic, Brian Layton, 48, of Mt. Royal, Gloucester County was apprehended by a New Jersey State Trooper Friday, after ditching his van on the Garden State Parkway, New Jersey State police said.

Layton is accused of robbing up to eight banks in South Jersey and Delaware over the past year, fleeing on a bicycle he bought at a yard sale each time.

On Friday morning, New Jersey State Trooper Mike DiLeo spotted Layton driving a 1997 Dodge van on the Garden State Parkway in Somers Point, Atlantic County with a license plate that didn't match the vehicle.

When DiLeo pulled the van over, Layton informed him he didn't have a license or paperwork for the van, and fled. When he encountered heavy traffic at the Egg Harbor Tolls, Layton bailed out of the van and DiLeo nabbed him pretty quickly, police said.

"This is a pretty great capture and it's solely due to a heads up trooper," said Sgt. Stephen Jones, a state police spokesman.

DiLeo also recovered a backpack Layton dropped during the pursuit, which contained large amounts of cash from a robbery of a branch of "The Bank" that morning in Carney's Point, Salem County, Jones said.

Jones said state police detectives executed a search warrant on Layton's van on Tuesday, recovering a small amount of cash from his last robbery, and a bicycle pump.

Layton, who used demand notes, would often drive close to his targeted bank with a bicycle in his vehicle and after pedaling to and from the heist, would ditch the bike for the car, said Detective Jon Bentivegna.

"It seemed pretty effective for a while," he said.

Bentivegna said Layton used his own personal bicycle during his first robbery but purchased others at yard sales as he continued on his tour de bank robbing.

Layton was also charged with resisting arrest, eluding, receiving stolen property, and hindering apprehension and is being held on $500,000 bail for the robbery charges.

He will be turned over to federal authorities after an Oct. 9 hearing in Camden, Jones said.