Police are on the lookout for an armed suspect after a reported robbery Tuesday at a Hometown bank, and it's a story that's growing even more bizarre.

According to a Schuylkill Communications Center dispatch, a man entered Mauch Chunk Trust Company, 226 Claremont Ave., Route 309, at 2:07 p.m. and pulled off a heist, left through the back of the building and drove northbound on Route 309.Sgt. Duane Frederick, Rush Township police, said the suspect's face was covered with a stocking."A male entered the bank with pantyhose over his face," Frederick said."The male had white sunglasses with a Philadelphia Phillies baseball hat and was believed to be carrying a handgun," Frederick said.The man made off with an unknown amount of money and red dye packs.When the man left the bank, surveillance showed he got into a Ford Explorer Sport Trac four-door pickup. The truck was described as navy or hunter green.A witness was able to get a license plate HCS-9343, but it came back as a stolen plate.The 911 dispatch described the suspect as a black male over 6 feet tall, wearing a black winter coat and dark jeans. The dispatch also mentioned the possibility of an accomplice.Police converged on the area and cordoned off the scene.Frederick said the pickup was involved in a hit-and-run shortly after 4 p.m. on Poplar Street in Hazleton.In that incident, a flutter of money, perhaps from the Hometown robbery, flew out of the truck and landed on the roadway.Earlier in the day, a man with a similar description to the Hometown suspect tried to enter FNCB Bank on West Broad Street in Hazleton.According to Hazleton police, he was scared away when employees approached and never gained entrance.Police were searching the area from Hazleton to Tresckow Tuesday afternoon, assisted by a state police helicopter.After the Hometown hit, bank doors were locked by Mauch Chunk Trust employee Sandy Mehalko as police launched an investigation inside the facility about 2:30 p.m.One bank customer, unaware of the incident, tried to gain entry only to find the doors secured."I was gong to make a deposit," said Kory Bates, owner of two local businesses, Chantilly's Restaurant, Park Crest, and The Beer Barn, Hometown.Bates was surprised to learn of the robbery, but said he sensed something wrong while driving to the bank."I saw three cop cars going north fast," he said.Another shopper pulled into the adjacent Hometown Village Square Mall and was stunned when she realized what had taken place."Thank God I didn't come here earlier," said Anna Brose of Tamaqua.Brose expressed concern over the increased level of local crime in recent weeks."I lock my doors at night." she said.The bank is not situated in an isolated location. Rather, it's located just north of the Hometown intersection and occupies a parcel adjacent to a full array of businesses, including a pharmacy, bakery, medical offices and deli.The incident is the second robbery in broad daylight in Hometown in just nine days.On Aug. 18, robbers entered RadioShack at HT Commons Shopping Center in the late morning, tied up an employee and stole a significant amount of electronic equipment.Anyone with information about Tuesday's bank robbery is urged to call 911.