'Armed and dangerous' man arrested in Hastings, wanted over series of bank robberies

An earlier mug shot of Brandon Scerri, taken during one of his many other east coast robberies

On June 26, the Hastings on Hudson Police Department released the following statement.

As you may know, on Saturday, May 11, 2024, at approximately 5:19 a.m., the Hastings-on-Hudson Police Department received a 911 call from a Broadway resident reporting that her home was currently being burglarized by a man armed with a handgun. Hastings-on-Hudson Police officers were dispatched to the scene with mutual aid from the Dobbs Ferry Police Department. Officers checked the home and it was determined that the suspect had fled before their arrival. The Hastings-on-Hudson Detective Division began an investigation and was assisted by the Yonkers Police Department Detective Division, the Westchester Real Time Crime Center, the Greenburgh Task Force and the FBI Westchester Safe Street Task Force. After a long investigation, on Wednesday June 26, 2024, the perpetrator, in this case, will be formally charged with this crime. He will be arraigned in Hastings-on-Hudson Village Court and sent to Westchester County Jail. I would like to congratulate the officers of the Hastings-on-Hudson Police Department for the successful investigation, and I would like to thank all agencies involved for their assistance,” the statement ends.

Although Hastings police have not released the suspect's name, other media outlets have confirmed that Brandon Scerri, 29, is the man arrested and charged.

The police statement makes no mention of the fact that the couple was bound and gagged, and that there was a young child in the home at the time of the theft. This story was posted on social media during the recent campaign for district attorney. It's possible that the incident revealed by police is not the same one we heard about several weeks ago.

After a Google search, we found a number of stories of Scerri incidents all over the East Coast. Scerri had outstanding arrest warrants in Pennsylvania and Florida for bank robberies and violent crimes.

Another local media outlet reported that this robbery, or another robbery, took place in Westchester on October 26 of last year. But media outlets in Pennsylvania and Florda said Scerri was in those states last year robbing banks.

Scerri is charged with two robberies in Westchester. One in Arsdley and one in Dobbs Ferry. He is charged with

• First-degree robbery;
• First degree burglary;
• Criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree;
• Grand theft in the third degree;
• Criminal possession of stolen property in the third degree.

Scerri will be extradited to Pennsylvania for the following crime. “On June 5, 2024, the North Strabane Township Police Department was dispatched to a bank robbery at the First National Bank located at 2620 Washington Road. Since that robbery, our agency has worked tirelessly with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Washington City Police Department, the Washington County District Attorney’s Office, and other surrounding law enforcement agencies. Today, June 10, 2024, we are announcing the issuance of full extradition warrants for the two actors, Brandon Scerri and Kayla Pruett. With this, we ask for the community’s vigilance and support in reporting their whereabouts.

Here's what sets them apart from how Pennsylvania law enforcement has asked the public for help. “They must be considered armed and dangerous, and based on their past behavior, we believe they pose a threat to the community. They were last seen in or near Washington County, Greene County. We strongly encourage them to contact our department to make arrangements for their surrender.”

But in Westchester, no information was made public about Scerri or the danger he posed to the public. Both styles are acceptable. “Sometimes they don't want to jeopardize the opportunity to catch the guy,” said one of our Westchester law enforcement friends.

According to media reports, the Pennsylvania bank robber was robbed by Scerri: “According to the complaint, no weapon was seen. The teller told authorities that the robber became frustrated when she gave him $150 in $1 bills and a $5 bill. The man allegedly told her to open the drawer to prove there was no money. Authorities say that after realizing there was no money, he took what he was given and tried to walk out of the bank. According to the complaint, the robber was unable to open the door and turned around to yell at the teller if she would let him out. The report states that she then told him to pull, not push, the door. Once he was able to open the door, authorities say he fled on foot.”

Scerri had stopped at a gas station before the bank robbery in Pennsylvania and was caught on camera. He is accused of robbing a second bank in the region.

Scerri had an accomplice in most of his crimes. Her name is Kayla Pruett. According to the AP report, Pruett is also in custody here in New York. But there is no mention of her in police reports or in the media. “The Wellsburg, West Virginia, couple is accused of the June 5 robbery of the First National Bank in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. The couple fled with $7,450 and were later seen under surveillance spending money stolen from fast food and a pharmacy.”