Three crooks swiped $300,000 from a Brink’s armored truck in Brooklyn by distracting its driver — then snatching the bag of loot he had left on the vehicle’s bumper, cops said Sunday.
The truck was making a money drop at a Chase bank at 5423 Eighth Ave. in Sunset Park around 1 p.m. Friday when two of the swindlers approached asking for directions, according to cops.
“While the employee was distracted, another unknown individual quickly removed a bag that was left unattended on the bumper of the armored Brink’s truck and fled the scene on foot,” police said.
All three male criminals fled afterward, cops said. The stolen bag contained $300,000 in cash, cops said.
“They just distracted him while talking to him,” a police spokesman said, adding there was no indication that the theft was an inside job. “It was a crime of opportunity. Someone saw an opportunity.”
An apparent Brink’s employee gets on the phone in the truck after the heist. Paul MartinkaThe man who removed the bag was described as a male with a slim build who was last seen wearing a black winter hat, a black hooded jacket, gray pants and black sneakers, cops said.
The man who distracted the armored-car employee was described as having a medium build and was last seen wearing a black winter hat with white trim, a black winter coat with a hood, gray pants and black sneakers.
The third suspect, who also distracted the Brink’s employee, is described as having a medium build and was last seen wearing a black winter hat, a black face mask, a black jacket, black pants, black sneakers and a black backpack, police said.
The Brink’s truck was targeted by opportunistic crooks in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Paul Martinka
The robbed Brink’s truck was making a cash drop at a Chase bank in Brooklyn. Paul Martinka“We can confirm there was an incident involving a Brink’s crew in Brooklyn on Friday and we are working with law enforcement,” the armored-truck company said in a statement Sunday. “At this time, we don’t have any further information to share.”
Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/or on Twitter @NYPDTips.
All calls are strictly confidential.
