Two Robberies, One with a Gun, Stun Haddonfield

Two brazen robberies in Haddonfield Friday have shaken residents and have police on the hunt for suspects.

The toy store at 201 Kings Highway East was robbed at gunpoint shortly before 9 p.m. Friday, according to a store employee and a borough police corporal.

The store, on the corner of Kings Highway and Haddon Avenue, is just a half-block from the police station. There were no reports of injuries and no details of what was taken. Police have announced no arrests.

Earlier in the day, the Fulton Bank at 17 Kings Highway West was robbed shortly after 1:30 p.m. That holdup involved a man who passed a note to the teller before escaping. The suspect, described as a thin, black man, about 6 feet tall and wearing a gray sweat suit, escaped on foot.

The bank robbery triggered a school lockdown until about 3 p.m. Three schools, , and the are within blocks of the bank.

Mayor Tish Colombi said she arrived at the Haddon School moments after it was locked down.

"I was going there for a and when I got there some Shade Tree Commission members were standing around outside," Colombi said. "They told me the school was locked down because of a bank robbery and the kids were not allowed outside. I was surprised."

One of the last reported bank robberies in Haddonfield was at the same bank, but it was known as The Bank then. That robbery occurred in July 2010 and a local dentist was later honored for following the suspect which helped lead to his arrest.

Haddonfield orthodontist was honored by the borough police in June for chasing the suspect, something Police Chief John Banning said he’d never recommend to a civilian.

After being forced at gunpoint to the floor of during a July 28, 2010, robbery, Clark followed the robber on foot and was able to identify him as the getaway driver to police.

There were no immediate reports of the suspect in Friday's holdup being followed.

"We need to do something proactive to make Haddonfield something other than an 'easy target,'" Haddonfield Civic Association President Bill Tourtellotte said in an email post on Saturday.