Altamaha Bank ATM Machine Robbed

The City of Hazlehurst Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are investigating the theft of $139,000 from an Altamaha Bank ATM in Hazlehurst.
According to Police Chief Ken Williams, on Jan. 6 at 12:23 a.m. at least three individuals wearing masks or face coverings, hoods, sweatshirts and gloves, stole a pickup truck from a residence on Hillcrest Avenue, drove it to the bank and used the vehicle to open the ATM with a chain. They left the stolen vehicle at the scene and left in a vehicle of unknown description.
The Police Department’s investigator is working on the case and contacted the FBI for assistance.
Williams said an event with the exact same details happened in December in Vidalia at Ameris Bank.
According to news reports, another similar event occurred in late August, 2022, in Blakely where suspects stole a Ford pickup from a dealership in Colquitt. The suspects used the stolen truck and a chain to destroy an ATM at Georgia Community Bank, making off with more than $30,000.
Two more similar thefts occurred in December, 2021, when suspects stole a truck in Cordele and used a chain to pull an ATM from its base at South Georgia Banking Company in Cordele. The stolen truck was found not far from the scene. That same night, there were two attempted thefts of trucks and authorities believe those attempted thefts were related to the ATM theft.
The same night, a Dodge Ram truck stolen the previous day in Gwinnett County, was used to steal $100,000 from an ATM at Georgia United Credit Union in Athens. The truck was found abandoned with doors open and a chain hanging from the back.
In March, 2022, thieves used a Chevrolet Silverado pickup stolen in Gwinnett County to pull an ATM off its base at Pinnacle Bank in Athens.
Last November, suspects used a Ford F250 to steal an ATM at Chase Bank in Forsyth County which they couldn’t open. Authorities found a crowbar laying on the ground beside the ATM along with parts of the ATM. A security representative with the bank said a similar crime had recently happened at a Chase Bank in Norcross.
And in another similar incident, suspects stole a Ford F250 from an Applebees parking lot and attempted to steal an ATM at One South Bank in Macon.
And last May, a man stole a UHaul truck in Marietta at 1 a.m. and at 4:30 a.m. backed the truck into a Texaco Food Mart on Main Street in Acworth and stole the ATM.