Long Branch Man Accused of Robbing Bank in His Hometown

The six-month search for the suspect in a Long Branch bank robbery leads authorities to a 39-year-old who lives right in the city.

Manuel Sotogonzalez, 39, was charged Wednesday in connection with the March 4 holdup of a Soveriegn branch, according to information from the office of acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Chris Grammiccioni.

Investigators say it was 4:59 PM on March 4 that police were notified of a suspect who strode up to a teller in the branch on Broadway, demanded and got cash, and bolted before police arrived.

Sotogonzales is charged with second degree robbery and was remanded to the Monmouth County Correctional Institution in Freehold. His bail was set at $150,000 with no option for release on payment of 10 percent.

Monmouth County investigators and members of the Long Branch Police Department collaborated in the probe.