Updated May 24, 5:08 p.m.
The Rego Park bank where safe deposit boxes were compromised during a daring burglary over the weekend remains closed as detectives continue to investigate the crime.
According to police, the suspect(s) cut a hole into the roof of the Maspeth Federal Savings at 64-19 Woodhaven Blvd. sometime during the weekend. They reportedly entered the vault, then removed cash along with a number of safe deposit boxes.
Many of the boxes, some of which had their contents removed, were found across the roof by 112th Precinct officers just after 8:30 a.m. Monday morning. A bank employee called police after discovering the hole in the roof while opening the branch for business.
As of Tuesday, neither police nor Maspeth Federal could confirm how much was stolen, or the approximate time of when the break-in occurred. The branch normally operates on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is closed on Sundays.
Detectives are looking to obtain security camera footage from nearby homes and businesses in the hope that the devices caught images of potential suspects, a source familiar with the investigation said.
According to a statement from Maspeth Federal, the branch will remain closed over the next several days as investigators continue their probe.
Safe deposit boxes are normally used by individuals to store precious items such as jewelry or important personal documents; cash may not be stored. By law, however, the bank is not liable for the content in the boxes.
In a statement on Tuesday afternoon, Maspeth Federal noted that all safe deposit boxes “are covered by insurance as part of the rental agreement.” The bank will be reaching out to all affected customers in the days ahead to set up appointments with them on filing insurance claims.
Once the bank contacts those whose boxes were compromised, Maspeth Federal will then contact all other safe deposit box holders at the Rego Park branch, the majority of whom were unaffected by the burglary.
“Maspeth Federal Savings is continuing to work with the authorities as they perform their forensic investigation at the Rego Park branch,” according to the statement. “Once the authorities complete their onsite investigation, and give us access to the branch, Maspeth Federal Savings will have to perform its own internal forensic investigation before allowing customer access. We are hopeful these investigations will be finished by the end of this week.”
The NYPD Major Case Squad is conducting the investigation.
If you are a Maspeth Federal customer with a safe deposit box at the Rego Park location, we want to hear from you. Email rpozarycki[@]qns.com.
