PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Police have arrested suspect in the armed robbery of NBT Bnak last fall. 

 

Christopher Oliveri, 51, of Milford was taken into custody near his home Wednesday morning. He was to be arraigned in Worcester District Court on the arrest warrant for the NBT Bank robbery and charges related to the illegal possession of a firearm found during his arrest.

 

Oliveri will later be transported to the Central Berkshire District Court for arraignment on charges of armed and masked robbery and two counts of firearm/armed kidnapping.

 

The bank branch at 609 Merrill Road was robbed on Nov. 29, 2023, shortly before 5 p.m. The suspect entered the bank while masked, displayed a firearm, and demanded cash. He then demanded the tellers lock the bank, close the blinds, and open the vault. The tellers were ordered to sit on the floor and had their hands zip-tied in front of them. Robber removed cash from the vault and cash drawers of both the tellers. 

 

He fled the bank with a total of approximately $143,960. The tellers were able to free themselves

from the restraints and call 911. No injuries were reported.

 

Investigators began looking for Oliveri, who they said drove a white Nissan Pathfinder rental vehicle to to the Pittsfield area from Milford and then returned home. 

 

Evidence related to the robbery was obtained and an arrest warrant for Oliveri and a search warrant for his residence in Milford were sought by investigators. They planned to execute the warrants in Milford but, early this morning, they saw Oliveri walking from the direction of his residence and followed him for a short distance. Investigators said they were able to take him into custody on the arrest warrant and, during a search, found that he was armed with a black revolver, a different firearm than that used during the robbery.

 

A search warrant was then executed on his residence and evidence related to the NBT Bank robbery was recovered. This evidence included clothing, equipment/bags/items used, a firearm similar to the one used in the robbery and a large amount of cash totaling approximately $112,700.

 

Additional charges for items discovered during the search warrant for his residence in Milford will be filed at a later date.

 

This investigation was conducted by members of the Pittsfield Police and Detective Bureau, Digital Forensic Evidence Unit, and Drug Unit, State Police troopers assigned to the Berkshire Law Enforcement Task Force of the Berkshire District Attorney's Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Hampden County Sheriff's Department and Milford Police Department.