Police in several precincts across Queens and Brooklyn are looking for a man who hauled away automatic teller machines during a winter crime spree.
The burglary pattern began in Woodside on Feb. 8 when the suspect entered Espina Deli located at 57-19 Northern Blvd. at around 7 p.m. and removed the ATM using a hand truck. Investigators from the 115th Precinct in Astoria determined the suspect also removed an undetermined amount of cash from a register from the bodega. He drove off in what is believed to be a Chevy Tahoe, police said.
The man struck again eight days later in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn when he entered the Parkway Express Deli and Grill at 75-02 Third Ave. and used a hand truck to haul away an ATM and a cash register containing more than $4,500 and a lottery cash register containing $500 before driving off in the possible Chevy Tahoe, according to the NYPD.
The suspect returned to Queens on March 9 when he entered the Coffee Pot located at 31-03 30th Ave. in Long Island City with two other men around 5:20 a.m.
Once again a hand truck was used to remove the store’s ATM and this time they fled the location in a silver Chrysler minivan, police said.
Three days later, the same group hit a grocery store in Auburndale. The men entered Paul’s Market located near the Long Island Rail Road at 39-21 192nd St. and removed the ATM with a hand truck. Investigators from the 111th Precinct in Bayside determined the men removed more than $8,200 and six cartons of cigarettes, taking off in a silver Chrysler minivan.
The suspect hit a restaurant in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn during the early morning of March 31. The man entered Omonia Restaurant located at 76-12 Third Ave. and hauled off an ATM using a hand truck containing around $3,500 in cash. This time, the suspect took off in a vehicle that was driven by another individual, police said.
The NYPD released several surveillance images of the suspect and some of his accomplices at several locations in Queens and Brooklyn.
Anyone with information in regard to the identity of the suspects is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at nypdcrimestoppers.com, or on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
