Police: Thieves Ripped Air Pumps From Brooklyn, Queens Gas Stations 17 Times
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Police on Thursday said a pair of thieves has struck 17 different times in Brooklyn and Queens since December, using a vehicle with a chain to drag away coin-operated air pump machines at gas stations.
The suspects are wanted in 17 incidents, police said. They use vehicles with a tow hook and a chain to rip the machines from their bolts and drag them away, police said.
Many of the machines had hundreds of dollars' worth of change inside, and were worth thousands of dollars themselves, police said.
"It's insane and I would think that these guys would go ahead and empty the money. Maybe they're using it for like iron or steel to make money off that," one customer told 1010 WINS' Glenn Schuck.
Police: Thieves Ripped Air Pumps From Brooklyn, Queens Gas Stations 17 Times
The incidents happened at the following times and locations:
• Around 4 p.m. Monday, Dec. 29. The suspects took an air pump machine with about $800 from the Citgo station at 91-02 South Conduit Ave. in Queens;
• Around 10 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 30. The suspects took an air pump machine containing about $200 from the gas station at 70-21 73rd Pl. in Queens;
• Around 8 p.m. Monday, Jan. 12. The suspects took the air compressor machine worth $2,500 from the BP station at 130-11 North Conduit Ave. in Queens;
• Around 10 p.m. Monday, Jan. 12. The suspects took an air compressor machine worth about $7,000 from the gas station at 3003 Coney Island Ave. in Brooklyn;
• At 6:50 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 13. Two suspects took an air pump worth about $2,000 from the gas station at 162-35 North Conduit Ave.;
• Around 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 13. The suspects took an air pump machine worth about $2,150 from the Conduit gas station at 586 Conduit Blvd.in Brooklyn;
• Around 9 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 28. The suspects took the air compressor worth about $2,500 from the BP station at 130-11 North Conduit Ave. in Queens;
• Around 9:08 a.m. Monday, Feb. 2. The suspect took an air pump machine worth about $700 from the Exxon GPN Boulevard gas station at 1193 Myrtle Ave. in Brooklyn;
• Around 3 p.m. Sunday, March 1. The suspects took a pump machine worth $1,000 from a gas station at 91-02 South Conduit Ave. in Queens;
• Around 12:20 a.m. Sunday, March 8. The suspect took an air pump machine from the Global gas station at 49-25 Van Dam St. in Queens;
• Around 2 a.m. Sunday, March 8. The suspects took an air pump machine worth $1,200 from the Exxon station at 59-51 Long Island Expressway in Queens;
• Around 6:20 a.m. Thursday, March 12. The suspects took the air compressor machine worth $2,000 from the BP station at 586 Conduit Blvd in Brooklyn;
• At 8:26 p.m. Monday, March 16. The suspects took an air pump machine worth $850 from the BP station at 100-07 Rockaway Blvd. in Queens;
• At 7:35 p.m. Sunday, March 21. The suspects took an air pump machine worth $1,500 from the Sunoco gas station at 128-24 Rockaway Blvd. in Queens;
• Around 10 p.m. Wednesday, April 1. The suspects took an air compressor worth $25,000 from a gas station at 130-11 North Conduit Ave. in Queens;
• Around 6 a.m. Friday, April 3. The suspects took an air pump machine worth $1,200 from the BP station at 8914 Ditmas Ave. in Brooklyn.
The suspects were described as two white or Hispanic males. One suspect in the incident at the Rockaway Boulevard Sunoco station was wearing a white shirt and blue jeans, and was driving a blue Honda Accord.
Police have released surveillance video from that incident.
Anyone with information was asked to call the NYPD Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS, <a href="http://www.nypdcrimestoppers.com" log onto the Crime Stoppers website, or text tips to 274637 (CRIMES) and enter TIP577.
