Brazen thieves again target Baltimore area ATMs, smash through Wells Fargo with excavator
Criminals used construction equipment to smash through a Wells Fargo Bank near the high-traffic intersection of Loch Raven Boulevard and Northern Parkway.
The bold crime happened in full view of cameras just before sunrise Sunday morning, but more than 24 hours later, no arrests had been made.
Excavator smashes through bank
"I think it's crazy," said Al Foote, shaking his head after learning about a smash-and-grab hit on the ATM at the Wells Fargo Bano branch near his home.
Pictures sent to WJZ Investigates show a large yellow excavator left in front of the bank, part of a precisely timed attack just after 5:30 a.m. on Sunday.
"You have to make sure the timing is right, so it probably took some planning to get it done," Foote told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren. "People went to great lengths to do this. I think it's horrible."
Another regular Wells Fargo customer of 18 years said she, too, is shocked.
"There are cameras all over. They gave it their shot," said the customer, who declined to give her name. "I was very surprised because I came here this morning to use the ATM, and it wasn't there."
WJZ watched for hours as a steady stream of customers expressed their surprise at the news, while a single security guard informed them the bank would be closed all day Monday.
A large red sticker on the front door said the building was "condemned," but it was later removed, and a source told WJZ Investigates the bank is expected to open later this week.
Relaying the shocking incident, an officer said on dispatch audio, "They ripped the whole system from the bank."
Plywood covered the area where the cash machine used to be.
The suspects left the construction equipment sitting in the front parking lot.
Not the first time
This is far from the first incident where brazen criminals have smashed through stores and banks in Maryland to steal cash machines.
In May, just seven minutes up Loch Raven Boulevard from the Wells Fargo, a thief used a U-Haul to smash through Quick Mart.
Video obtained by WJZ showed him loading up the ATM on May 27.
Baltimore County police officers caught the suspect in the act, rushing toward him with their guns drawn.
The thief, who was wanted in a string of burglaries, sped off. Eventually, police arrested and charged him.
A new indictment was handed down Monday.
Pandemic-era pattern
As WJZ Investigates has covered extensively, the Baltimore area saw a surge in ATM thefts during the pandemic.
In November 2021, four thieves used a van to smash through a Walgreens on York Road, leaving a gaping hole.
One month later, on Reisterstown Road, a van smashed into a BP gas station five times.
The shocking video showed the bold theft and the criminals walking out with the cash machine.
The problem got so bad that Baltimore police at one point designated a detective in each district to deal with the ATM thefts.
The suspects often used stolen vans and construction equipment and worked in the early morning hours.
In one case in 2022, a Baltimore Department of Public Works employee used a city-owned van, but covered the logos, to break into an ATM in Owings Mills.
The thieves appeared undeterred by cameras, as was the case in Sundays incident at Wells Fargo.
WJZ Investigates asked Baltimore police whether there has been an uptick in smash-and-grab ATM thefts in the city. A representative told us it may take several days to retrieve that data.
The American Bankers Association said ATM crime incidents have surged 73 percent since 2022.
The theft incidents do not only include smashing into ATMs. The newest trend is called "jackpotting" where thieves use malware to force ATMs to dispense cash.
In February, the FBI issued a warning about an increase in "jackpotting."
