Boston Man Arrested in Connection with Harvard Square Bank Robbery

Cambridge Police arrested a Boston man Friday in connection with the armed robbery of a Harvard Square bank that occurred this past November.

Juan Cruz, 48, was arrested on one count of armed robbery for holding up the TD Bank on 1270 Massachusetts Ave., following a two-month investigation by CPD.

During the bank robbery, which took place on Nov. 23, Cruz allegedly passed a note to a teller claiming to be armed, and fled the scene with an undisclosed amount of cash. Cruz did not wield a weapon, however, according to CPD spokesperson Jeremy Warnick.

Cruz could not be immediately reached for comment.

The incident in question was the first in a string of four robberies that struck Cambridge during a three-week period in late November and early December of 2020, two of which occurred in Harvard Square. In response, both CPD and the FBI opened an investigation into the crimes.

All four robberies involved the passing of a note or a verbal threat claiming to be armed.

In a December interview, Warnick said CPD believed the robber who held up TD Bank’s Harvard Square location also was behind the robbery of Cambridge Savings Bank in Inman Square two days later.

Investigations into the Cambridge Savings Bank robbery and the other two robberies that occurred at the end of 2020 remain ongoing, though, Warnick wrote in an email Friday.

Cruz is scheduled to face arraignment Monday at Cambridge District Court, Warnick added.

Prior to Nov. 23, Cambridge had not witnessed a bank robbery since 2018.

Overall, compared to 2019, violent crime decreased 3 percent in Cambridge in 2020, while property crimes increased 9 percent with 174 additional crimes.

—Staff writer Raquel Coronell Uribe can be reached at raquel.coronelluribe@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @raquelco15.