Authorities say the cash may have been collected as part of a "jackpotting" crime.
PLAINFIELD, Conn. (WTNH) — Connecticut state police are searching for whomever tampered with an ATM at a service plaza off Interstate 395 North and then threw $52,000 in cash out a window when troopers started chasing them.
Troopers were initially called to the service plaza in Plainfield after 11 a.m. ET on Monday, after hearing a person was tampering with an ATM and looking into parked cars, according to state police. The suspect then took off in a black BMW SUV with Pennsylvania plates.
Police have provided pictures of the suspects, seen below.
While driving away from troopers, a suspect allegedly threw several items out of the SUV, including a backpack that had $52,000 in $20 bills inside, a mobile hotspot, and an iPhone. Troopers called off the chase when the BMW sped off.
Video footage from earlier in the day shows the BMW driving around the service plaza at about 7:15 a.m. Two males then entered the Exxon at different times. One used a device to take money out of an ATM.
One witness who spoke with Nexstar's WTNH believes she spotted one of the suspects near the store's ATM.
"The guy was standing there for a good 20, 25 minutes," the woman said. "He had a little sack in front of him. And so, I just thought that it was weird he was there that long."
She said the ATM screen had "a bunch of different writing, like a hacker."
Connecticut State Police Sgt. Luke Davis said the crime is part of a national trend called "jackpotting."
"It's way more advanced than the typical smash-and-grab of an ATM being yanked out from a business," Davis said. "Now, this software can be used to bypass the security systems of an ATM and basically give what's referred to as a 'jackpot payout.'"
Davis encourages businesses with ATMs to update the software regularly and install safeguards to protect against malware.
