Gunmen steal ATMs amid a spate of similar thefts in Philadelphia

A theft is under investigation in Philadelphia after two suspects threatened a worker at a deli and stole an ATM, police say, amid a spate of similar thefts across the city.

The Philadelphia Police Department posted surveillance video of the theft on YouTube and said in the video description that two unidentified men entered the Martinez Deli at 200 W Olney Avenue on Thursday.

Surveillance video posted to YouTube showed the men in black jackets exiting a dark gray Toyota parked on the side of the street.

According to the video, the men then entered the delicatessen, and shortly afterwards one of the two men came out of the delicatessen with the ATM.

Police said one of the men approached the counter and threatened the deli worker with a black pistol, while the second suspect “went to the back of the deli and forcibly removed the ATM and dragged it off-site” to park in the truck .

This was announced by a spokesman for the Philadelphia Police Department news week on Saturday that no arrests have been made yet.

According to local news station WPVI-TV, an increase in ATM thefts has been reported in Philadelphia, with police saying at least five more machines have been stolen since late September.

Last weekend, another ATM was stolen from a Sunoco on Girard Avenue near North 6th Street in the Northern Liberties neighborhood, police said.

Store employees told WPVI-TV that three thieves wearing ski masks stole the store’s ATM, dragged it to their SUV and fled the scene. No injuries were reported in the incident.

In another incident on November 3, a person stole an ATM from a gas station on Block 6200 of North Broad Street. The suspect was masked and broke a window to get in and yanked the ATM out of business, despite being bolted to the floor.

Also, on September 29, two robbers stole an ATM after breaking into Wissahickon Brewing on the 3700 block of School House Lane.

“I never thought anyone would steal our ATM,” Wissahickon Brewing co-owner Peter Gill said, according to local news station. No details were given as to whether these thefts were linked.

“Of course we investigate all ATM incidents. Depending on the incident and if a pattern is identified, we may increase patrols in the area or bring in other law enforcement agencies,” the Philadelphia Police Department spokesman added Saturday.

Meanwhile, the remains of an ATM were found hanging from a forklift in front of a credit union in Oklahoma in July, police said. Most of the ATM, along with the money inside, was loaded into a vehicle and driven away. Photos from the crime scene showed the abandoned forklift with parts of the ATM still dangling from it.

Police told local news outlets that robbers used a forklift to impale the ATM through the windshield and snatch it off the ground outside a Tulsa Teachers Credit Union (TTCU) in Bixby. No details were given about the number of suspects involved in this incident.

Last November, a man in Las Vegas allegedly stole an ATM by tying it to the back of a pickup truck and driving away.

To update [11/19/2022] 5:03 p.m.: This article has been updated to include comments from the Philadelphia Police Department.