Police: Man robbed Ansonia bank to impress Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift performs during day two of Capital's Jingle Bell Ball 2017 with Coca-Cola at the O2 Arena on Dec. 10, 2017 in London. Taylor Swift performs during day two of Capital's Jingle Bell Ball 2017 with Coca-Cola at the O2 Arena on Dec. 10, 2017 in London. Photo: Doug Peters/EMPICS Entertainment / TNS Photo: Doug Peters/EMPICS Entertainment / TNS Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Police: Man robbed Ansonia bank to impress Taylor Swift 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

ANSONIA — The 26-year-old man who robbed a bank in Ansonia last week told police he did it to impress singer Taylor Swift, an incident report said.

Bruce Rowley, of Derby, told police he “drove to Taylor Swift’s house and threw some of the money that he stole from the bank over her fence,” the report said. Swift has a residence in Watch Hill, Rhode Island.

Last Wednesday afternoon, a man walked into the Webster Bank on Division Street in Ansonia and demanded money from a teller. He did not show a weapon. The teller gave him an undetermined amount of money. Police shared images of the man, captured by surveillance cameras, on social media.

In a police car following his arrest, Rowley confessed to the crime — but gave the wrong street name.

The day after the robbery, police learned Rowley’s identity and got a search warrant for his Jeep and his residence in Derby. Police entered Rowley’s Jeep into a nationwide database as wanted.

Last Thursday, Rhode Island State Police saw Rowley’s Jeep on Interstate 95 south and tried to stop the car.

“Rowley refused to stop and engaged the Rhode Island State Police in a pursuit that eventually entered Connecticut. Troopers from the Connecticut State Police Troop E in Montville joined in the pursuit,” said Ansonia police Lt. Patrick Lynch.

The pursuit ended at exit 89 on I-95 in Mystic after troopers used spike strips to flatten the tires on Rowley’s Jeep. While being taken into custody a Rhode Island State Police K9 bit Rowley in the arm.

Rowley told police, while being taken to Ansonia Police Department for processing, that he “had a crush on Taylor Swift and wanted to impress her so he robbed the bank,” the incident report said. He also told police he tried to contact Swift, but she wasn’t home.

But Rowley apparently also planned to give some of the money to police.

“During the transport back to Ansonia PD, Rowley spontaneously uttered that he planned on donating some of the money that he stole from the bank to the Ansonia PD,” the incident report said.

Rowley was charged with second-degree robbery and forth-degree larceny. His bond was set at $100,000. Court documents indicated he was not released from custody. His next court date is at 10 a.m. on May 8.