Man gets 20 years for robbery

On Jan. 5, state Superior Court Judge Francis P. Destefano, sitting in Freehold Borough, sentenced Steven Vitiello, 36, of Seaside Heights, to a 20-year state prison term for the August 2005 armed robbery of a bank in Freehold Township.

According to the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office, Vitiello must serve 17 years before being eligible for parole. Vitiello pleaded guilty on Sept. 18.

Witnesses to the crime reported that on Aug. 29, 2005, Vitiello entered the Free-hold Savings and Loan on Route 9 north and demanded money from a teller after informing the teller he had a gun.

After receiving money from the teller, Vitiello fled the bank, entered a vehicle and drove away. The vehicle was later discovered abandoned nearby.

An investigation conducted by the Freehold Township Police Department in cooperation with the FBI, the Dover Township Police Department, the Brick Township Police Department and the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office led to Vitiello's arrest on Oct. 12, 2005.

Subsequent forensic testing linked Vitiello's DNA to a soda can recovered from inside the getaway car.

Prosecutor Luis A. Valentin said, "It is extremely satisfying when this many different law enforcement agencies are able to coordinate their efforts and bring about the capture and successful prosecution of a criminal who initially managed to escape justice. As a result of these fine efforts, a bank robber will spend the better part of the next two decades behind bars."