Two suspects are wanted in a string of air pump machine thefts at Brooklyn and Queens gas stations that have netted the thieves thousands of dollars in stolen money and machinery, police say.
At least 17 air pump machines were stolen in the two boroughs from December 2014 to April 2015, according to police.
So far the thieves have walked off with more than $49,000 between the stolen pumps and the change inside them, police said.
One Citgo gas station's air pump machine alone contained $800 in change. And one of the air pump machines that was stolen from a gas station in Queens was valued at $25,000, according to police.
Vishneo Bridgellal, a shift manager at a BP gas station in South Ozone Park, said two of the station's air pumps have been stolen. Employees only found out they were gone after a customer told them.
"In the morning, when the customer comes by to buy gas and they try to air the wheel there was nothing there," Bridgellal said.
The suspects use vehicles with tow hooks to pull the coin-operated, self-serve air pump machines from their bases.
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In one surveillance video, a hooded suspect can be seen pulling up to a Sunoco gas station in Queens after dark and attaching a rope to the air pump. He or she then jumps in the car and accelerates, ripping the machine from its stand and sending sparks flying. The first suspect and a passenger then put the air pump machine in the trunk of their car and drive off.
"It's amazing what people would do for money," Louis Agosineili, of Ozone Park, said. "It really is crazy."
The thieves usually target gas stations in the evening or at night.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS.
