Safecracker to tackle 2 on old U.S. sub

HACKENSACK, N.J., Dec. 7 (UPI) -- A professional New Jersey safecracker has been commissioned to open two safes locked aboard a World War II submarine for more than 60 years.

Officials at the New Jersey Naval Museum in Hackensack said they sought the help of 43-year-old Jeff Sitar because he "is the Houdini of safes," the Newark Star-Ledger reported.

The USS Ling 297, a Balao class submarine, was launched in 1943 and decommissioned in 1972. But the two 20-by-20-inch safes, one each in the state rooms of the executive officer and the captain have remained sealed, despite attempts by various other safecrackers.

Sitar uses a method called "manipulation," relying on his fingers, ears and wits, and rarely has to resort to drilling or blasting, the newspaper said.

He charges between $150 and $1,000 a job, depending on whether it's a home safe or a bank vault. A date has not yet been set, but museum officials are keen to see what's inside what they call "60-year-old time capsules."

Sitar is bonded and on file with the FBI and the Safe and Vault Technical Association, and says he has never been on the wrong side of the law.