Thieves roll ATM right out the door

UPPER DARBY, Pa., Sept. 8 (UPI) -- Two thieves entered a busy hospital in the Philadelphia suburbs and walked out with an ATM machine that may have held as much as $96,000, authorities said.

Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood said the theft at Delaware County Memorial Hospital was perfectly planned, WTXF-TV, Philadelphia, reported Tuesday. By the time anyone realized a crime had been committed, the men, the machine and their nondescript white Econoline van were gone.

"Never spoke to anybody, never interacted with anybody," Chitwood said. "Looked like they were business people. Anybody that saw them probably figured, 'Hey, there were just removing the machine.' No idea that they were committing a crime."

The operation was caught by video cameras, which showed the two men using a dolly to roll the ATM down a hallway.

Chitwood said the pair may have had knowledge of the hospital and clearly knew how to disable the ATM alarm. They carried out the theft just as visiting hours were ending Monday.

About two hours later, a representative from the ATM's owner, the Franklin Mint Credit Union, came to check out the machine after what appeared to be a routine power surge.

"When they got there, there was no machine," Chitwood said.