Investigators say that about five months later, Torres struck at the same bank using a fake handgun, this time while enrolled in the police academy. The take: $102,000.
The same day as the second holdup he put down $18,500 cash on a new car, police said. Sometime later he bought his girlfriend a diamond engagement ring - police did not know the cost - and paid off a $2,500 college loan.
Kelly called it a "shocking story" given that, on paper, Torres was a "model cadet" who boasted a solid academic background, passed psychological screening and scored high marks in the academy. Since being assigned to transit patrol in January, the Queens resident had made seven arrests, the commissioner said.
Torres, now 21, appeared to be "smart and hardworking, with tremendous potential," Kelly said.
Investigators allege that Torres admitted being involved in the earlier robberies while under questioning about the heist Thursday in northeast Pennsylvania.
Torres' Pennsylvania defense attorney, Paul Missan, said Friday that he didn't know the details of the New York allegations. Formal charges were pending.
Missan said his client was "a fine young man."
Police in Muhlenberg Township have accused Torres of using a real gun to force bank employees into a vault before stuffing $113,000 in large bills into a white shopping bag and fleeing in a car. He was caught after the employees pointed out the car to police responding to a silent alarm.
On Thursday, a judge in Pennsylvania doubled Torres' bail to $1 million after prosecutors revealed the suspected two-state robbery spree targeting three branches of Sovereign Bank. Berks County District Attorney John T. Adams described the case as "very unfortunate."
