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A pair of thieves in Connecticut tossed more than $50,000 out of their car windows during a police chase, according to law enforcement.
Connecticut State Troopers responded to a report around 11am on Monday that an ATM in Plainfield had been tampered with. The caller said they saw a person tinkering with the cash machine and peering into parked cars at a service plaza before leaving the area in a black SUV with Pennsylvania plates, NewsNation reports.
Surveillance video at the service plaza caught images of the suspects, who both appear to be white men in their twenties or thirties wearing baseball hats, khaki pants, white shoes, and carrying tan waist bags. The men look very similar apart from their hair length.
Troopers chased the SUV from the service plaza. During the pursuit one suspect tossed items from the vehicle including a backpack containing $52,000 in $20 bills, a mobile hotspot, and an iPhone, police said. The SUV ultimately escaped the police.
When troopers reviewed surveillance footage taken at the service plaza, they saw the SUV driving around the facility at 7:15am.
The footage showed both men entering the Exxon gas station at the service plaza at different times that morning. One of the men used a device to withdraw money from an ATM.
A witness toldWTNH that she thought she had spotted one of the suspects hovering near one of the store's ATMs.
“The guy was standing there for a good 20, 25 minutes,” the witness, who declined to identify herself, said. “He had a little sack in front of him. And so, I just thought that it was weird he was there that long.”
When she examined the ATM, she said the screen had displayed "a bunch of different writing, like a hacker."
The suspects were believed to be engaged in "jackpotting”, an increasingly popular way for criminals to steal money from ATMs. Connecticut State Police Sgt. Luke Davis told the outlet that the thefts are far more advanced than typical brute-force robberies.
“It’s way more advanced than the typical smash-and-grab of an ATM being yanked out from a business,” he said. “Now, this software can be used to bypass the security systems of an ATM and basically give what’s referred to as a ‘jackpot payout.'”
He said businesses with ATMs should ensure the machines are always updated and suggested they install safeguards to prevent potential theft.
