The FBI announced on Wednesday a potential bank robbery site was uncovered after city workers found an underground tunnel after they were called out to a sinkhole in Florida, according to The Sun Sentinel.
The tunnel went from a wooded area and led to a nearby Chase Bank branch.
The tunnel was initially found on Tuesday night in Pembroke Pines after repair crews were called out to work on the street, but they uncovered the secret passageway with a single power cord running through it.
FBI Special Agent Michael Leverock said Wednesday said the tunnel was two by four feet wide and led to the bank but did not ultimately reach underneath the branch.
"The FBI was called given this is a possible bank burglary," Leverock said. "We traced the hole from the wood line approximately 50 yards until it hits the bank."
When authorities searched inside the tunnel and found a winch, a device that is used to pull a rope which was tied to a small wagon inside the tunnel.
There was also a pickaxe and a small generator inside the tunnel.
“These people were using pickaxes and a small little wagon,” Leverock said. “This is truly a unique case here. I would like to say I saw something like this in movies. Welcome to Florida."
The FBI said the tunnel was made only a few feet underground, and when authorities sent in a cadaver dog, it did not find anyone inside.
"It's a puzzle," Leverock said. "I can't imagine how they did it. As well as claustrophobic."
It's unclear who targeted the bank yet but officials said it was likely more than one person.
“They could have been here earlier that night or it could have been a few nights ago or weeks ago,” Leverock said. “This was not an overnight project.”
The discovery was likely due to the recent heavy rains in Florida, which revealed the tunnel made under a two-lane road.
But the crew noticed an orange power cord was inside the hole before calling the police who later found the tools used to dig and remove dirt and rocks.
Police later called the FBI after it appeared the tunnel was intended for the bank.
Leverock said investigators would continue to dig the tunnel and search for evidence throughout the night.
Leverock said he wanted to ask the would-be bank robbers what they would have done when they reached the solid walls of the bank.
“If somebody has been bragging about this, somebody has seen this wagon, seen a generator and some folks who were talking about a tunnel, give us a call,” he said.
-WN.com, Maureen Foody
Photo:
AP / David Goldman
