HOWARD BEACH (WABC) -- Police in Queens are searching for some bold burglars who were able to break in to a local bank by cutting a hole through the wall of another business.
It happened at the Sovereign Bank on Crossbay Boulevard in Howard Beach.
Eyewitness News reporter Sandra Bookman has more.
They were bold and apparently successful. Sources say the suspects not only got away with a significant amount of cash, they also cleaned out some safe depost boxes. Now, a joint FBI-NYPD bank robbery task force is heading up the investigation.
The FBI and NYPD were called to the scene early Monday morning after bank employees discovered the break in. Sources say the theives entered the bank by breaking through a wall in the non-profit children's charity located next door.
The Angel By The Bay office was closed over the weekend for Easter.
"I came in about 9:30, 9 o'clock, and I saw the commotion with the police and everything," busienss owner Bob Guarnera said. "And then we had an FBI person came in and asked if we had any back doors at the gym to get into the other area. And we don't."
Guarnera, who runs a kids' gym just a couple of doors down, was among those briefly questioned by investigators.
One source describes this as a rather sophisticated operation, based on the equipment apparently used to break through the wall successfully. Also on the scene, the FBI Evidence response team, wearing rubber boots because the theives flooded the bank before fleeing with a reported $100,000.
Sources say there have two or three simliar heists in the past few days. The FBI will not comment, saying this is an ongoing investigation.
