ALEXANDER COUNTY, N.C. -- Alexander County authorities are searching for a bank robber who may have struck a Bethlehem bank for the third time in recent months.

At about 11 a.m. Wednesday, someone saw the robber leaving the First Citizens Bank and followed the getaway vehicle about a mile and a half from the bank to Davis Cove Road, which is a dead end.

Authorities went from house to house along the road, searching for the getaway vehicle and robber.

Deputies said they believe the robber pulled behind a vacant house and then took off after the person following him passed by.

They said the robber was likely covered in dye because a witness saw the dye pack explode as the robber got into his car in the bank parking lot.

Investigators said the robber may be the same man who has held up the bank previously. They believe he also may have intended to rob the bank during an incident last week. The vehicle description is similar in all the cases.

A customer who was inside the bank told Eyewitness News that the robber was wearing a ski mask and forced everyone onto the floor during the robbery.