ATM theft spree hits Brooklyn neighborhoods

A police car drives through Brooklyn, Dec. 16, 2022. AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson, File

BROOKLYN — POLICE ARE INVESTIGATING a coordinated series of ATM thefts that struck multiple Brooklyn neighborhoods over the past two months. Detectives say a small group is believed to be responsible for a wider citywide pattern, according to PIX News 11.

According to investigators, the crew is linked to 17 incidents between October and late December, with Brooklyn locations concentrated in East New York, Brownsville, Crown Heights and Williamsburg. Targets have included standalone ATMs and machines inside small businesses, several of which were damaged during overnight break-ins.

The thieves repeatedly used stolen vehicles to rip machines from storefronts or attempt quick removals. In multiple Brooklyn cases, the same SUV was reported leaving the scene.

The most recent incidents occurred on Dec. 27, when one ATM was successfully taken and another attempt failed hours later. Police estimate several thousand dollars in cash has been stolen and are urging anyone with information to come forward.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X @NYPDTips.

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