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Video: Serial Air Pump Thieves Have Absconded With At Least 17 Precious Pumps

Emma Whitford

Published Apr 17, 2015

Modified Apr 17, 2015

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Emma Whitford

Published Apr 17, 2015

Modified Apr 17, 2015

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The NYPD is seeking two male suspects they believe to be responsible for the theft of no less than seventeen coin-stuffed self-serve air pump machines across Queens and Brooklyn.

The incidents, which have occurred on a semi-regular basis since December 29th, are pretty consistent from one gas station to the next. The video below, taken on March 21st at the Sunoco at 128-4 Rockaway Boulevard, shows the suspects backing up to an air pump in their vehicle. One of the men hops out and pops the trunk, where a tow hook is secured by a heavy chain. He then attaches the tow hook to the air pump machine, and returns to the vehicle. When the driver hits the gas, the box is torn from its lodging in a shower of sparks. It takes both men to hoist the coin-heavy box into the trunk.

If the motivation for such crimes is hard to fathom, consider that the air pump machine above was valued at $1,500. One particularly loaded machine, lifted from the BP at 130-11 North Conduit Avenue in Jamaica on April 1st, was valued at $25,000. Even more surprisingly, the April 1st incident was the suspects' third successful heist at this particular BP station (they hit it up for a $2,500 pump on January 12th, and another $2,500 pump on January 28th).

Close perusal of the police report on these two suspects reveals other impressive feats. For example, on January 12th, after their second successful hit at the Jamaica BP at 8:00 p.m., they rushed over to the Mobil at 3003 Coney Island Avenue in Coney Island, where they lifted their second air pump machine of the night, valued at $7,000.

The very next day, back in Jamaica and presumably feeling invincible, the suspects lifted a $2,000 machine from 162-35 North Conduit Ave and another, valuing $2,150, from the BP at 586 Conduit Boulevard, within the same hour. The 586 Conduit BP got its second hit on March 12th, valuing $2,000.

Other air pump machines have been yanked from their posts at:

Citgo at 91-02 South Conduit Ave. in Jamaica (December 29, $800)
A gas station at 70-21 73rd Street in Ridgewood (December 30th, $200)
The Exxon at 1193 Myrtle Avenue in Bed-Stuy (February 2nd, $700)
A gas station at 91-02 South Conduit Avenue (March 1, $1,000)
The Global at 49-25 VanDam Street in Long Island City (March 8, estimated value unknown)
The Exxon at 59-51 Long Island Expressway in Long Island City (March 8, $1,200)
The BP at 100-07 Rockaway Boulevard (March 16th, $850)
The Eagle Service Center at 49-05 Astoria Boulevard (March 20th, estimated value unknown)
The Sunoco at 128-24 Rockaway Boulevard (March 21st, $1,500)

The most recent air pump machine incident occurred on April 3rd at 6:00 a.m., at the BP at 8914 Ditmas Avenue in Ditmas Park. In that case, the machine was worth $1,200.

Anyone with information in regards to these incidents is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS. The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers Website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or texting their tips to 274637(CRIMES) then enter TIP577.

Tagged

Air Pump Machines

gas stations

jamaica

original

Emma Whitford

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