Police: Deadly motorcycle crash connected to Massachusetts bank robbery

STONINGTON, Conn. (WTNH) — Police say the motorcyclist who died in a crash on Wednesday in Stonington was believed to be the suspect in two bank robberies shortly before the accident.

The Webster Police Department in Massachusetts confirmed on Friday that Shawn Twomey, 52, from New Haven, is a suspect in a bank robbery at Hometown Bank on Gore Road in Webster.

They said that he is believed to have crashed his motorcycle after robbing another bank in Stonington. Twomey died as a result of the accident after colliding with a tractor-trailer truck.

The Groton robbery happened Wednesday at around 11:20 a.m. at the Chelsea Groton Savings Bank in Pawcatuck, a section of Stonington, police said. Police believe that Twomey entered the bank, implied possession of a weapon and fled the scene with an undisclosed amount of money.

Witnesses said they saw the suspect leave the area on a blue motorcycle headed northbound.

Shortly later, at around 11:33 a.m., state police responded to the fatal motorcycle crash on I-95 Southbound near Exit 91 in Stonington.

The crash shut down I-95 for hours, causing traffic not only on the highway, but also on backroads.

Stonington police and state police have confirmed that the man who died in the I-95 crash is connected to the bank robbery earlier that morning. The FBI is also assisting Stonington police with the bank robbery investigation.

Anyone who may have witnessed the robbery or the subsequent crash is urged to contact Stonington police or Trooper Timothy Wengloski at Troop E-Montville at 860-848-6500 or timothy.wengloski@ct.gov. Information regarding the robbery can also be sent to tips.fbi.gov.