Police: Was safe found in Hamptons stolen or just abandoned?

It’s a fire-rated, impact-resistant safe, and it was found, broken into, on a residential street in Hampton Bays, Southampton Town police said.

Now, investigators are trying to determine who owned the safe — and if it was stolen or just abandoned.

“It looks like it’s been pried open,” Southampton Det. Sgt. Lisa Costa said Tuesday, adding the safe was empty when found.

It’s a SentrySafe model, approximately 3 feet by 2 feet.

It doesn’t match any reported crime, Costa said. And it’s unclear how it got to the area where it was discovered.

Costa said investigators did door-knocking “around the neighborhood,” trying to locate an owner, but no one claimed it.

Police are asking anyone with information on the safe to call the detective division at 631-702-2230 of the Southampton Town Crime Tips Hotline at 631-728-3454. You can also email police at crimetips@southamptonny.gov. All calls and tips will be kept confidential.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

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.”