Man arrested after caught trying to remove skimmer device from Hewlett bank ATM, police say
Vlad Mares, 47, was arrested Thursday, Sept. 3, 2015, on charges including grand larceny after detectives saw him use a pry bar to remove a skimmer device at the Chase Bank branch on Broadway in Hewlett, Nassau police said. Credit: NCPD
A 47-year-old man was arrested Thursday night in Hewlett after detectives watched him use a pry bar to remove a skimmer device illegally installed on a bank ATM, police said.
Vlad Mares, whose address is unknown, was arrested without incident at 9:30 p.m. at the Chase Bank branch on Broadway, Nassau County police said. He now faces arraignment Friday in First District Court in Hempstead on charges of third-degree grand larceny and two counts of possession of a forged device.
Police said Crimes Against Property detectives had responded to the bank after being notified by bank security, who had discovered the skimmer device installed on the ATM.
Detectives then monitored the scene until Mares came along -- and pried it loose, police said.
It was not immediately clear how long the device had been in place on the ATM. It also was not clear if any personal banking information had been stolen or if the bank or its customers had suffered financial loss as a result of the alleged crime.
John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”
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