Saturday, July 27, 2013

An unusual crime


From Fox 5:

Police in Queens were investigating an unusual bank robbery on Friday morning.

Someone used a backhoe to break into a Chase bank on 48th Street in the Maspeth section of the borough.

It apparently took place at about 3 a.m. while the bank was closed.

Video from SkyFoxHD showed a wall and door smashed in the front of the building. The backhoe was still sitting in front of the building.

Police say the thief broke in through the ATM vestibule. The ATM was laying in front of the building after the break-in.

Police were still on the scene in the 8 a.m. hour. It was unclear if any money was stolen in the break-in.


10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I find this to be inner city comedic criminal genius of sorts. The neighborhood by the bank is home to many construction yards where this type of equipment is stored. Some person or group decided that the bank would be an easy target because no one would think it strange to have a backhoe at the property.

However after reviewing the facts and realizing that it occurred at 3 in the morning I now believe that this might have been the act of a disgruntled customer. No money was taken and the ATM was left behind. sounds like revenge to me and Maspeth has a history of entertaining revenge.

Queens Crapper said...

After reviewing the facts? You didn't do your homework. This has been a pattern. Just the night before, they hit the TD Bank on Metro and 80th Street.

Anonymous said...

NY Times:

The authorities said they believed the men, who remain at large, were responsible for 10 other A.T.M. thefts or attempted thefts across the city since April, although this was the first to involve the use of a backhoe. In the other cases, the men generally used ropes or cables affixed to a car to pull away A.T.M.'s and try to get at the money inside, the police said. In one instance, a tow truck was used.

All told, the police said, the crew may have gotten about $25,000 from these thefts, although in a couple of instances they were unable to remove any money from the machines.


So much for your "facts".

Anonymous said...

Whoa!! Didn't the word "comedic" and me blaming the attempted robbery on a disgruntled customer tip you off that I was not being serious??

The two recent robberies with a stolen tow truck and a stolen backhoe could have been the basis of an early 1970's Jimmy Breslin novel.

Crime is definitely serious but sometimes it can also be comedic.

Queens Crapper said...

"Whoa!! Didn't the word "comedic" and me blaming the attempted robbery on a disgruntled customer tip you off that I was not being serious?? "

I think you better reread what you wrote and explain how it comes off as a joke.

Anonymous said...

The fact that this branch had a freestanding atm next to the window rather than the typical wall mounted bank atm likely made it a target, as well as the desolate area.

Anonymous said...

There's a desolate area in queens? I thought it was overdeveloped!

Ps. Tweed is classy and you know it.

Anonymous said...

"I think you better reread what you wrote and explain how it comes off as a joke."

I think you ought to tune up your sense of humor.

Queens Crapper said...

No, rather, you need to learn how to write better jokes that actually have punchlines.

Anonymous said...

Laurel Hill (an old name for the old neighborhood) is not residential but certainly IS overdeveloped. Anyone who rides the Q67 daily can tell how bad the truck traffic is daily.