Due to crime and vagrancy, Chase Bank announces some ATMs in NYC will close at night
NEW YORK -- Mayor Eric Adams didn't hold back Monday when asked about a decision from Chase Bank to close some of their city ATMs during overnight hours, citing crime and vagrancy concerns.
Customers didn't hold back, either.
Using an ATM is exactly what Sunny Ng wanted to do last Tuesday night, but when he tried to enter a Chase ATM vestibule in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, the only paper he got was a warning that, for now, the once 24-hour ATMs will close at 10 p.m.
"The advantage of using Chase is that they have so many ATMs, and so for it to close at night is kind of unbelievable," Ng said.
So Ng got online and complained to Chase in a tweet, and the company replied, apologizing and saying it has decided to close some ATM vestibules not just at 10 p.m., but at 5 p.m. or 6 p.m., depending on the location. The bank even gave a reason: rising crime and vagrancy in vestibules that were 24/7.
"Which I don't really buy because like I've seen vestibules where they have private security guards before, so it's not like there's no solution to it," Ng said.
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A Chase spokesperson told CBS2 only a small number of previously 24-hour ATMs are closing after regular business hours. The company would not go into specifics about incidents that motivated its decision, but the NYPD recently tweeted that it is looking for someone who threw coffee in a woman's face at 3:40 a.m. in a Chase at 40th Street and Eighth Avenue.
"Those are all indicators, when you have to lock up supplies, when you have to close early due to people sleeping inside," Adams said.
The mayor said the city is working to provide care to homeless people in need of help, and also said the city needs to create an environment where people feel safe.
"People don't want to walk into their ATM and see someone urinating, see someone screaming and yelling. People don't want to go through that," Adams said. "And that is what I am saying I need to stop, because I don't want my ATMs closing down. I don't want people leaving our city."
When asked if he has seen problems with crime and vagrancy, Ng said, "Not really. Sometimes I see like a person that may be homeless, but they don't bother me."
CBS2 also talked to several other customers who said they'd like to know if Chase will cover their ATM fees if they have to use another bank's ATM at night.
CBS2 asked, but did not get an answer from Chase.