News

Police believe Manhattan ATM thefts work of gang

June 16, 2004

NEW YORK - Police believe that thieves who broke into a Midtown Manhattan deli and tried to take an ATM on June 15 probably belong to a gang of robbers who specialize in ripping off the machines.

According to a report in the New York Post, the robbery attempt took place just before 1 a.m. Authorities speculate the thieves were about to take off with the ATM, which had been ripped from its floor anchors.

"They were ready to go," a law-enforcement source told the Post. "They were probably a few minutes away from taking it."

The attempt fit a pattern established last month by a gang that took off with several ATMs from a number of Manhattan convenience stores. Twenty machines -- each filled with $4,000 to $22,000 in cash -- have been taken throughout the borough since January.

(See related story Theft ring targets Manhattan ATMs)

Police said that in the latest incident, the thieves had loosened the machine and were about to leave when they were spotted by a passerby who called 911.

Police sources said earlier that they had few leads, especially since there has been no surveillance footage from inside the stores.

The thieves usually enter the closed stores late at night by breaking open their metal gates and entering the front doors, which are sometimes left open by shop owners who falsely believe the gates provide adequate protection, according to the Post.