John McAleavey is "a lost soul," who has been in and out of trouble for years, said one longtime friend.
He's generous and fun-loving, although somewhat unpredictable. McAleavey was convicted in 1996 of aggravated assault for breaking a man's jaw and served 10 years in prison.
"John does what John does," said his friend, David Santa of Penbroke, Fla.
What John McAleavey allegedly did Friday, Pittsburgh police said, was to lead them on a wild chase during bumper-to-bumper evening rush hour after robbing a bank.
McAleavey, 36, of 526 Springfield St., West End, was arraigned on Saturday before District Judge Gene Ricciardi on three counts of robbery, one count of criminal conspiracy, one count of aggravated assault and one count of an accident involving damage of an attended vehicle or property. Police identified the suspect as John McCleavy, but family and friends yesterday confirmed the spelling of his last name as McAleavey.
His girlfriend and alleged accomplice, Meghan Jaeger, 21, who listed her address as 184 Maple Drive, Boardman, Ohio, was arraigned on three counts of robbery and one count of conspiracy. She told Ricciardi she had no Pittsburgh address.
They each were held at the Allegheny County Jail on $250,000 straight cash bail.
"He is a lost soul," Santa said. "He can't get it together."
According to a criminal complaint filed by Pittsburgh police, McAleavey, who has done landscaping and asphalt work, entered the National City Bank at 3149 Banksville Road, Banksville, just before 6 p.m. Friday wearing a black ball cap, a black wig, a dark-colored bandana, a hooded sweatshirt and gloves.
He allegedly jumped onto the counter and said, "I have a gun, I don't want to hurt anybody, give me the fifties and hundreds," according to the police affidavit.
Then, he jumped onto the teller's side of the counter and demanded money, fleeing with at least $3,000 in a silver-colored Saturn Vue with Jaeger in the passenger's seat, according to police.
The chase -- which reached speeds of 80 mph -- went through Mt. Washington, past the West end Circle and along West Carson Street before continuing across the Fort Pitt and Fort Duquesne bridges onto East Ohio Street.
It continued through parts of Millvale, Etna. Sharpsburg and O'Hara, before the heading back into the city on East Ohio Street.
WTAE news footage showed the van squeezing through stopped traffic and crashing into a truck.
During the chase, Jaeger allegedly told McCleavy to keep driving, according to the criminal complaint.
McAleavey's father, John Sr., declined to comment yesterday about the charges against his son.
Allegheny County Court records show McAleavey having a long criminal history, with convictions for criminal trespass, conspiracy, retail theft, disorderly conduct, promoting prostitution and aggravated assault.
McAleavey had been in court on Wednesday for a "minor" case, said David J. Shrager, the attorney representing McAleavey who has known him since elementary school. Shrager would provide no details.
In 1996, McAleavey received a maximum 10-year sentence on aggravated assault charges. He served the full sentence at the medium-security State Correctional Institution at Houtzdale, Clearfield County.
The conviction stemmed from a Pittsburgh bar fight in which he broke another man's jaw, said attorney Stephen Greenberg, who represented McAleavey in that case.
Despite McAleavey's arrests, his friends have stayed loyal to him.
"John is a generous, fun loving guy. He is close to his parents and siblings. He's got nieces he is close to. I think almost anybody would enjoy his company," said Shrager.
Santa said McAleavey calls him "10 times a day." The two kept in touch through letters and phone calls even during McAleavey's time in prison.
"Ten years is a long time to stay in contact when he was in jail," Santa said.
The last time McAleavey called, he sounded depressed, Santa said.
A graduate of Langley High School, McAleavey grew up in the West End. His brother and sister are both hearing impaired.
The chase, reminiscent of the O.J. Simpson case, was risky, said Pittsburgh police Chief Nate Harper.
"This was a dangerous police pursuit," Harper said.
Harper said police several times tried to back off to give the suspect a chance to quit driving so recklessly, endangering other people.
Susan Kozak of Hampton was glad police showed restraint when they briefly surrounded McAleavey's vehicle on the southbound lanes of Route 28. She was stopped on the side of the road with other vehicles to make way for police.
She feared for what could have happened if bullets had been fired.
"There were too many people around. It was bumper-to-bumper traffic," she said. "If they had missed, or of the bullets had bounced off the car it would have killed somebody. They did the right thing."
Harper said he suspects the FBI will file federal bank robbery charges against McAleavey. Attempts to reach the FBI yesterday were unsuccessful.
The plate on the minivan was reported stolen Thursday from another vehicle in the Banksville Plaza, Harper said.
