Jul

Brooklyn Couple Snags Nikon Traffic Cameras With Cherry Picker

Some people see those automated traffic light cameras and hate them for privacy reasons. Others, like this couple from Brooklyn we’re about to tell you about, take a look and see nothing but dollar signs.

The thieving pair, Anthony Cintorrino and Tara Laburt, were the beneficiary of what those in the biz call an “inside job.”

Cintorrino, a contractor who recently installed and maintained a number of the cameras, had intimate knowledge of where they were and how they could be taken down quickly and quietly. All he and Laburt needed was a cherry picker and some time, and the valuable Nikon cameras housed within were theirs for the taking. Sadly for we gadget geeks, no Nikon model number was given—anyone out there know which Nikon camera body/lens is best for snagging license plates at 50 feet? Update: It’s a Nikon D2x, apparently. Thanks, snarky commenter!

In the end, the couple was nabbed by New York police, but not before they had stolen and resold $88,000 worth of hot goods with their cherry picker truck. Unfortunately for any New York drivers out there, everything was recovered, and the camera rigs were put back into place a mere 48 hours after the crimes were committed. [New York Post via Autoblog - Thanks for the pic, Derek]