A naked man running around downtown Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday afternoon was enough on its own to turn heads.
But there was more. According to the FBI, he had robbed a bank and was throwing stolen money to people, making an even bigger spectacle.
Alexander Hayden Sperber, 25, of Fort Lauderdale parked his red Ford Mustang near a Regions Bank branch at 100 SE Third Ave., went in about 3:06 p.m. and, extending his index finger as if to depict a gun, pointed at a teller, according to a federal criminal complaint.
Sperber also claimed he had a gun, and told the teller he would hurt her and others if his needs weren’t met. She put approximately $4,700 in a bag he provided, the FBI said.
Among the cash was a red dye pack and as Sperber left the bank, it exploded, leaving colorful evidence on his clothing and on a cast on his left wrist.
And that’s when he made his memorable appearance Las Olas Boulevard, authorities say.
After his arrest, Sperber told a special agent that when he woke up Tuesday morning, he “decided to rob a bank, flee by running naked down the street while throwing the money stolen during the bank robbery to people, in order to begin his career as a comedian,” the FBI said.
Witness Drew Armstrong told WSVN Ch. 7 he saw Sperber but couldn’t really believe what his eyes were telling him.
“And then this lady passed me and I asked her, ‘Was he naked?’ and she’s like ‘Yeah, he was naked.'”
Fort Lauderdale police arrested Sperber near 800 NE Fourth St. and officers wrapped him in a yellow tarp. Out of concern for his health, they called paramedics who took him to Broward Health Medical Center. Doctors there found Sperber to be “conscious, coherent and uninjured,” court documents said.
Sperber was charged with one count of bank robbery. His lawyer could not be identified.
Staff writer Paula McMahon contributed to this report.
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