Robbers use fake chimney to cut into bank

NEW YORK, Feb. 24 (UPI) -- Thieves equipped with industrial blowtorches used a fake chimney as a shield while they cut through the roof of a New York City bank branch, police said.

Employees of the Astoria Federal Savings Bank branch in the Borough Park neighborhood of Brooklyn discovered the theft Monday morning, the New York Post reported. Police sources told the Post the thieves made off with the contents of 60 safe deposit boxes.

Investigators found the blowtorches at the bank and at a nearby construction site. They also found a circular section of the roof.

Police said surveillance cameras got images of the thieves.

As word of the robbery spread through the neighborhood, customers gathered outside, waiting for word on whether they were among the victims.