Riverside gas station burglarized for 3rd time in 1 month

Surveillance image from a burglary at the Citgo gas station, 539 Longcommon Rd., in Riverside on Nov. 28, 2019. | Riverside police

A Riverside gas station had its ATM partially stolen Thursday, making it the third time the west suburban gas station has been burglarized in one month.

Officers arrived to the Citgo, 539 Longcommon Rd., about 4:50 a.m. and found the gas station’s front door shattered and the top of its ATM removed, Riverside police said. The bottom of the machine was bolted to the floor.

Surveillance video showed two people wearing black masks and gloves fleeing north on Harlem Avenue in a blue Dodge Durango, police said. Officers found the top of the ATM later in the afternoon in the 100 block of Herrick Road.

Surveillance image of the suspects’ blue Dodge Durango

The same gas station was burglarized on Nov. 13 and Nov. 2 by a group of males who tried to steal the ATM both times, police said. On the third attempt, burglars ignored a sign that Citgo management posted to the door reading “No ATM here please.”

“There is clearly a crew, and more likely several crews, specifically targeting ATM machines,” Riverside Police Chief Tom Weitzel said. “It should be noted that the offenders are specifically targeting ATMs that are not located on bank properties. There is a pattern of hitting ATMs that are privately owned so that no federal charges can be sought, if arrested.”