Thief Drags ATM Machine Out of Store, Flees in Stolen School Bus: Police

A Westbury man was arrested Friday after police say he smashed the window of a grocery store, physically dragged out an ATM machine onto the street, hauled it into a stolen mini school bus and drove away.

According to authorities, the owner of Bravo Supermarket, located at 306 Post Ave. in Westbury, arrived to the store at 7 a.m. to find the glass front door shattered and an ATM machine missing from within the store.

Surveillance footage caught an unknown man committing the burglary and fleeing with the ATM machine in a yellow mini school bus, which was parked directly in front of the business at 5 a.m. The bus traveled northbound on Post Avenue, police say.

Information regarding the theft and the mini bus was broadcasted to area officers and sometimes later, officers in Queens received a call regarding a suspicious person and a yellow mini school bus on Springfield Boulevard near the Grand Central Parkway.

Officers arrived to the bus’ location and observed the ATM on the ground and David Hughes, 61, inside the bus, police say. Hughes was placed under arrest without incident.

An investigation revealed Hughes stole the school bus from confines of the Second Precinct and was also found to be responsible for a convenience store burglary that occurred at 692 Old Country Road in Westbury on July 13, 2013, police say.

Hughes was charged with two counts of third-degree burglary, third-degree grand larceny and fourth-degree grand larceny. He will be arraigned Saturday at First District Court in Hempstead.

Image via NCPD