New York City police officials were reminded of the popular 1995 film Heat — starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Val Kilmer and Jon Voight— as they investigated a crew of burglars who used blowtorches to break into banks in two boroughs.
Suspects Michael Mazzara, 44, Charles Kerrigan, 40, and Anthony Mascuzzio, 36, were arrested on Tuesday in connection to the break-ins which took place in Brooklyn in 2012 and Queens in 2013. Approximately $5 million were stolen in the robberies.
“These heists reminded me of one of my favorite movies, Heat,” NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton said at a news conference in Manhattan. “This crew was nearly perfect, but they left behind small pieces of evidence: plywood purchased at a nearby Home Depot and torches from a Brooklyn welder used to muscle into the vault.”
Authorities have been investigating the robberies since 2014 and said that the suspects had been living lavish lifestyles ever since.
“These guys then used the money and valuables to finance their lavish lifestyles. They bought new cars and motorcycles, Jet Skis and boats,” FBI Assistant Director in Charge Diego Rodriguez told reporters. “They partied in Las Vegas and took trips to Miami while the residents of Brooklyn and Rego Park got taken to the cleaners.“
