Prosecutors Allege Man Accused of 2012 PNC Bank Robbery Admitted Committing the Crime

Court records show a Brooklyn man accused of robbing Parsippany's PNC Bank branch in September 2012 allegedly confessed to the crime just after his car was stopped by police,  telling police, "It's me. I robbed the bank," and "I was desperate," the Daily Record reported. 

Stephen L. Smith, 30, was the subject of a legal brief filed by Morris County Assistant Prosecutor Joseph Napurano in state Superior Court in Morristown as part of the state's effort to fight a defense motion to suppress physical evidence in the case, claiming the search warrant used was issued based upon “unlawfully obtained inflammatory information.” The article went on to say the brief included the information that when Smith's car was stopped by law enforcement, officers found most of the $4,410 taken from the bank within the vehicle. 

On Sept. 5, 2012, Smith is accused of walking into the PNC Bank at 1142 Route 46 and giving a teller a note demanding cash. Police said the man took the money and fled, but dropped $450. He was captured by police as he was traveling on Route 3 toward Secaucus thanks in part to the bank teller, who attached a GPS device to the cash. 

Judge Minkowitz did not say when he will rule on the defense motion, the article said.