Burglars Spend More Than 6 Hours Trying To Rob Bank, Leave Empty Handed
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Burglars were caught on camera trying to rob a bank, and police say this wasn't your typical attempted robbery.
Investigators say the men spent more than six hours trying to rob the Bethpage Federal Credit Union on West 26th Street in Chelsea.
"There's at least two individuals that breached security bars on the back window of the bank," FBI Special Agent in Charge Michael Osborn said.
That's how they allegedly got into the building just before midnight on May 21. Then, surveillance video shows them cutting off electrical lines to the building, shutting off security alarms, and even destroying surveillance cameras.
They spent almost the entire time attempting to break into the bank vault, with no luck, CBS2's Erin Logan reports.
"That's what caused us such great concern, and that's why we're asking for the public's help," Osborn said.
Based on the patience and confidence portrayed in the surveillance images, FBI agents believe this is an organized group. They're concerned the men will come back or try again at another bank if they aren't caught soon.
"We have a series of groups that we are always focusing on that we believe may be associated with these types of bank burglaries," Osborn said. "Right now, we're not prepared to say whether this is specifically tied to another job."
David Castillero works right next door at digital cleaners and said one of the bank managers alerted his boss immediately.
"I was shocked to hear that, unbelievable," he said. "It's a good thing that whatever they tried to do it didn't work out and it didn't escalate to anything else."
The FBI is asking the public to take a good look at the men to see if they recognized anything in the images -- from the clothing, to their tools or their actions. Investigators are offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to an arrest.