An NYPD car outside Albatross Bar on 24th Avenue on Wednesday morning. Photo: Albatross Bar Instragram
Nov. 20, 2024 By Shane O’Brien
Two men broke into a popular Astoria gay bar early Wednesday morning and made off with an ATM containing around $3,000, according to the bar’s owner.
Nathan Finnegan, who owns Albatross Bar at 36-19 24th Ave., said two men broke into his establishment shortly after 5 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 20, breaking in through a side door at the bar using crowbars.
The two men removed an ATM containing around $3,000 from the premises and caused significant damage to the bar’s DJ equipment and lights while unsuccessfully trying to disable the bar’s CCTV system, Finnegan said.
Finnegan said the two men exited the premises within 10 minutes of breaking in and estimated that they caused thousands of dollars worth of damage to the door and DJ equipment during the break-in.
No staff were present at the time of the break-in.
NYPD detectives attended the scene early on Wednesday morning and informed him that there had been a spate of recent robberies across Queens in which thieves made off with ATMs inside bars and restaurants.
Finnegan added that there was no money in the bar’s safe or cash float at the time of the robbery, noting that CCTV footage of the incident shows that the two men did not even bother to search for the register.
He said the two men hid their faces throughout the robbery and encouraged anyone who was in the vicinity of Albatross at the time of the break-in to contact the bar or the NYPD.
Finnegan described the damage sustained during the break-in as a “pain in the ass,” adding that he will implement extra security measures in the wake of the incident.
“It’s not great, is it?” Finnegan said. “Times are not that easy right now, and when you’re just adding extra costs to fix all this stuff and everything that comes with it. It’s not ideal. We’re just going to try our best – that’s all you can do.”
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