Ridge man charged with two bank robberies, police say

A Ridge man was arrested Tuesday in connection with the robbery of two Suffolk banks earlier this year, police said.

Christopher Collins, 25, of Ruth Lane, was charged with two counts of third-degree robbery in the Jan. 31 robbery of a Bank of America in East Setauket and a Capital One Bank in Nesconset on Feb. 17, police said. In both robberies, he passed a threatening note to a teller and no one was injured, police said.

Detectives in the Pattern Crime Unit used video surveillance and tips from the community in their investigation. After identifying Collins as the likely perpetrator, police said, they placed him under surveillance and he was arrested Tuesday about 3:15 p.m. on Middle Country Road in Ridge.

It was unclear whether Collins had an attorney Tuesday night. He is scheduled to be arraigned in First District Court in Central Islip on Wednesday.

By Nicole Fuller

nicole.fuller@newsday.com@NicoleFuller

Nicole Fuller is Newsday's senior criminal justice reporter. She began working at Newsday in 2012 and previously covered local government.