Brazen ATM Thefts on the Rise Amid the Pandemic

Thieves are increasingly targeting ATMs amid the pandemic and prompting businesses to move them inside where would-be robbers can’t get to them.

In Philadelphia, thieves were caught on camera using dynamite to blow up one ATM. A man lit the fuse and ran off, before running back to grab up the loot.

In New York City, there has been a rash of ATM thefts since March. In one brazen theft, a machine was yanked from the wall and carried out of the front door.

In another, surveillance footage captures a crew of thieves pulling an ATM out from its spot in front of a deli via a chain attached to the getaway van. They loaded it up into the back and sped off.

Fernando Mateo, a spokesman for United Bodegas of America, told Inside Edition that the ensuing damage to the front of the store cost $10,000.

“It’s an epidemic right now,” Mateo said. “Every other day there’s an ATM machine being stolen.”

“This is a community-based store, the people around here rely on it. When you see this kind of destruction and rampant vandalism, it hurts, it hurts everybody,” manager Tom Mazenis told Inside Edition.

The ATM has since been moved to the inside of the store.

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