A mystery tunnel leading to a bank was discovered by Florida public works employees who were dispatched to repair a sinkhole in the road.
A mystery tunnel leading to a bank was discovered by Florida public works employees who were dispatched to repair a sinkhole in the road.
It was immediately apparent something was strange about the sinkhole. There were electrical cords inside it, as well as a small generator.
Enter the FBI and the Pembroke Pines police. Agents and officers found a winch, a pickaxe and a small wagon in a very narrow trench running under the road and a wooded area, spanning some 50 yards and stopping just short of a Chase Bank branch.
"I would like to say I saw something like this in the movies," FBI Special Agent Michael Leverock told reporters Wednesday. "However, this hole is so small. It is unique.
Authorities have no idea who dug the hole or when.
Leverock called it an "attempted bank burglary."
Any potential burglars, however, would have had to be very thin and have had no fear of confined spaces. The tunnel's diameter measured just 2 to 3 feet.
"It's very small; it's very claustrophobic," Leverock said. "You would not be afraid of small places, for sure, if you were doing this."
The diggers appeared to be aiming for the ATMS outside the bank, Leverock said. "They were headed towards the bank, that's for sure," he said.
Recent rains may have caused the tunnel to collapse in on itself, creating the sinkhole in the road, he said.
"I don't know how they did it. I would like to put it into words for you. But it is so cramped in there, and that wagon is — I mean it's a puzzle. I can't imagine how they did it," Leverock said.
Investigators will dig up the entire tunnel, a process that will take a while, he said.
Meanwhile, he asked for the public's help.
"So, if somebody's been bragging about this, somebody's seen this wagon, seen a generator and some folks who are talking about a tunnel, certainly give us a call," Leverock said.
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