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Authorities: Suspects Nabbed In Cliffside Park Among Dozens Charged In Statewide ATM Thefts

Eleven suspects seized in Cliffside Park following a brief pursuit were among dozens arrested statewide Tuesday for exploiting a glitch that allowed them to steal tens of thousands of dollars from ATM machines at banks throughout New Jersey and in New York City.

Cliffside Park PD

Cliffside Park PD

Photo Credit: CLIFFSIDE PARK PD
Santander Bank

Santander Bank

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Borough police arrested two suspects at the Santander Bank on Anderson Avenue before chasing down the rest on foot, Deputy Police Chief Vincent Capano said.

Eight of the suspects are adults and three juveniles -- two of them 17 and one 16, from the Bronx and Mount Vernon, NY, he said.

Several arrived in a white Dodge Caravan with Texas license plates, witnesses said.

"They didn't all go in at once," the deputy chief said. "One would go in, then another, over the course of an hour or so."

Police found them carrying nearly $3,335 in stolen cash, along with several cloned cards in other people's names that they used to withdraw the money, following a brief pursuit and subsequent foot chase, he said.

Prosecutor's and sheriff's officers and local police in Bergen, Hudson, Essex, Morris, Middlesex, Mercer and Union counties and elsewhere were on the lookout for the crew, whose members apparently met on social media.

"They've been taking as many 20s as they can get out of the machines by exploiting a glitch at [Santander Bank] branches," Capano said.

Santander branches in New York City alone had more than 600 bogus transactions on Monday, police there reported.

Law enforcement officers of all levels participated in Tuesday's New Jersey takedowns.

At least 19 suspects were nabbed in Morris County, another 19 in Mercer County and nearly a dozen in Sayreville, according to one unofficial report.

Meanwhile, Santander Bank officials said they were temporarily closing all of their ATMs and some banks until the glitch could be addressed.

"We are continuing to cooperate with law enforcement as they investigate this situation and apologize for any customer inconvenience," they said in a statement. "As we work to expeditiously resolve this situation, our customers should know that there is no impact to their accounts or funds, which can be accessed online, using our digital app, in our branches or at non-branch ATMs."

Founded nearly a century ago as Sovereign Bank, a savings and loan in Wyomissing, PA, the Boston-based bank is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Spanish Santander Group.

It's operated under Santander Bank in the Northeast since 2013, with more than 575 branches and more than 2,000 ATMs.

SEE: Multiple Arrests Made In Santander Bank ATM Thefts Across NY/NJ/CT

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