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Dayshawn Brimfield, 30, was carrying evidence of his deeds when he crashed and was taken into custody by state troopers on the westbound interstate near Lincoln on April 25, NE, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said.
He was later extradited to New Jersey and brought before a federal judge via videoconference on Friday.
Brimfield became a fugitive after robbing a TD Bank branch in Hazlet of $750 on April 2 by claiming to have a gun and threatening to kill a teller, authorities said.
On April 20, he approached an Aberdeen convenience store clerk, ordered him to the ground at gunpoint and took $450 or so from the store register, Sellinger said.
Detectives identified Brimfield as the robber after reviewing store security footage, he said.
The cameras also captured images of the getaway car -- an older-model green Honda Civic that had been reported stolen out of Elizabeth days earlier, the U.S. attorney noted.
On April 22, Brimfield pointed a gun at an employee of a Krauszer's in South Plainfield, forcing him to hand over a wallet with his driver’s license, Social Security card and cash inside, Sellinger said.
Brimfield then ordered the victim to the ground and swiped $2,000 from the store, the U.S. attorney said.
Security from neighboring businesses captured images of Brimfield driving the Civic while wearing a knit New England Patriots hat, Sellinger said.
Three days after the robbery, a Nebraska state trooper pulled up to the Civic, which was parked on the shoulder of Route 80. Brimfield immediately drove off as the trooper learned that the Civic had been reported stolen.
A chase continued for four or so miles before Brimfield began having mechanical problems, state authorities in Nebraska said.
The Civic then left the roadway and hit a fence, allowing troopers to seize him, they said.
A search turned up the South Plainfield clerk's driver’s license and Social Security card, as well as clothing consistent worn in both convenience store robberies -- including the Patriots hat, Sellinger said.
Federal authorities in New Jersey charged Brimfield with bank robbery, weapons offenses and interstate transportation of stolen property, among other offenses. A U.S. District Court judge in Trenton ordered him held pending trial.
Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI in Newark, police in Hazlet, South Amboy and Aberdeen, the Nebraska State Patrol and the Middlesex and Monmouth county prosecutor’s offices with the investigation leading to the charges.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Matthews of Sellinger's Criminal Division in Trenton is handling the case.
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