‘Midnight Smashers’ bodega burglars steal 49 ATMs; $5K reward offered

A crew of brazen burglars known as the “Midnight Smashers” are responsible for breaking into bodegas and delis across the city and stealing nearly 50 stand-alone ATMs, according to outraged store owners who are now offering up a $5,000 reward for the crooks’ capture.

The NYPD said the thieves broke into 49 stores in upper Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx between Sept. 19 and Dec. 26.

First, the crew of three steals a vehicle or a vehicle’s license plate. They then drive around the city in the stolen vehicle, smash and tear their way through store security gates and steal the ATMs.

The NYPD could be close to apprehending the crew. On Monday, police arrested one of three men seen breaking into the Tasty Bite Deli and Grill just outside Cypress Hills Cemetery on Jamaica Ave. near Dexter Court in Astoria.

Worker Zeiad Al Eshwary was in the basement of the closed store at around 1:30 a.m. when the thieves cut the padlock to the front gate and disabled the security camera.

They carried out the place’s ATM to an awaiting Dodge Durango as the employee called the police.

As cops arrived, the Durango sped off. During a breakneck pursuit, the driver of the Durango blew through red lights, drove down sidewalks and reached speeds of 100 mph before smashing into a dividing wall on the Horace Harding Expressway near 108th St.

The driver, identified as 40-year-old Celestino Colon, got out of the Durango and ran off on foot. Police finally apprehended him in Brooklyn just before 3 a.m.

An empty cashbox was found in the Durango’s front seat. Workers confirmed the cashbox was from the deli and had about $800 in it when the store closed for the night.

Cops canvassing the area also found the stolen ATM empty at the corner of 136th St. and Park Drive East, about 5 miles from the deli. The ATM had about $1,200 in it before the break-in, cops were told.

Police charged Colon with burglary, grand larceny, reckless endangerment and fleeing from an officer, but a judge ordered him released during his arraignment on Wednesday. The charges were not bail eligible, according to court documents.

More in U.S.

Two of the three thieves, wearing hooded sweatshirts and sporting surgical masks, have been caught on surveillance camera carrying the ATMs out of the stores, most recently on Dec. 23 at the American Desi Bazaar and Deli on 31st Ave. near 75th St. in East Elmhurst.

So far, the burglars have made off with “tens of thousands of dollars,” according to the United Bodegas of America.

“These attacks are unlike anything we’ve seen before,” UBA spokesman Fernando Mateo said Thursday. “It’s unacceptable that small business owners, the backbone of our city, are being targeted like this. They deserve better protection, and it’s time for city officials to step up.

“These robberies are not just thefts — they’re a direct assault on the livelihoods and safety of New York’s hardworking families,” Mateo declared, adding, “We need immediate action to prevent [having] more victims.”

UBA President Radhamés Rodríguez was stunned that the crew could operate so brazenly for so long.

“Why haven’t these men been caught? This is unheard of,” Rodriguez asked, announcing the $5,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible. “We must put NYPD resources to solve this crisis.”

The UBA is also asking the NYPD to step up patrols in the communities the bodega ATM burglars have targeted.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of these thieves is urged to call NYPD Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.

EMEA Tribune is not involved in this news article, it is taken from our partners and or from the News Agencies. Copyright and Credit go to the News Agencies, email news@emeatribune.com Follow our WhatsApp verified Channel