Poster of Suspects in robbery (NYPD)
Nov. 4, 2014 By Christian Murray
This morning Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer and his staff were handing out posters at the 46th Street station in Sunnyside calling on the public for information concerning the robbery of an 81-year-old man at the Chase Bank ATM at 46-10 Queens Blvd.
The photos of the two suspects released by the police were grainy and some residents who reviewed the posters could barely make out their faces. “You really don’t see anything; maybe I can see this guy,” said one woman, who is a former member of the Sunnyside/Woodside Lions Club.
Kate Flanagan, whose grandfather William Eichhorn was the victim, said: “I am so upset and horrified by the quality of the images.”
“This is an enormous bank—with billions of dollars–and that is the quality of their cameras,” Flanagan said. “We have blurry images of these cowards… now they may get away with it and attack someone else. It’s disgusting.”
Photo Courtesy of the Office of Jimmy Van Bramer
The attack occurred inside the ATM area at about 9:30 am on Sunday Oct. 26. The suspects punched Eichhorn in the face and fled with $100 and his debit card.
The footage released by the police—who obtained it from Chase– just shows photos of the suspects’ backs. There are no photos of the suspects as they came in or out of the bank, which led to questions whether the bank has exterior cameras at all. Meanwhile, there are just two cameras inside the ATM area.
Van Bramer, who told attendees at a press conference this morning how Sunnyside and Woodside are close-knit safe neighborhoods, said afterward that he is looking into legislation that would require banks to regularly review the quality of their cameras to make sure that they are transmitting top-notch images.
“I would like to see clearer images and I would expect a bank of this size to regularly monitor the quality of their footage,” Van Bramer said. “We don’t know when their cameras were installed–it could have been 10 years ago for all we know.”
Van Bramer said that people are particularly at risk when they are taking out money from the ATM. “When someone follows you in [to the ATM area] with the intent to cause harm, you are extremely vulnerable,” he said. However, at the same time, “there is also this presumption of safety in a bank that there are cameras.”
Van Bramer said that his office got funding for the NYPD to put a security camera outside Duane Reade on the corner of Queens Blvd and 48th Street. He said that the footage from that camera is first rate. Therefore, he believes that there must be better technology available to banks.
The branch manager at the Chase branch would not comment as to the age of the cameras surrounding the ATMs and how often they are checked. A spokeswoman for JP Morgan Chase’s Consumer Banking division was not immediately available for comment.
Prior coverage:
http://sunnysidepost.com/81-year-old-sunnysider-beaten-and-robbed-at-chase-bank/
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35 Comments
well i’ve closed my chase account. got sick of their fees too. went to a safer online bank.
David,your a Boy.
@Johnny You’re wrong again.Go back and re-read your post. It said nothing about Anthony it was all about ‘liberal racist anti American channel’. A complete defense of Fox News and nothing but. Nice try. Your mind has been so weakened by the propaganda you’ve been fed you can’t even see the truth in your own posts. That is the hallmark of effective brainwashing. Thanks for making my case.
David, read your articles, you attacked Anthony Blackwood for nothing,you then got smart with Kramden, your a gutless little mouth who thinks your a big shot when you are really only a waste of space, a would be of could be but cant be,a bitter,resentful,lying little clown.
@Ignorant Johnny learn to read. None of my posts strayed from the topic involving the news article of topic until you posted your silly buzz word laced post accusing me of being a liberal and racist. You’re so twisted you can’t even see how manipulated you are. I must automatically be left wing ‘Liberal’ for not supporting your warped ideology. A so called News Network that claims to be a champion of Conservative Ideolgy and free market principles wouldn’t be out there doing the bidding for the huge cartels that run the American economy such as big oil, insurance, and banking, yes they’re cartels. So let’s get back to the topic of the article because I am tired of reading your silly speculation and disregard of what is written. It appears you’re mistaking speculation for truth. I suggest you show these posts to a third party and see what they tell you.
David,telling the truth is nothing to be embarrassed about,as for being ignorant, it is your ignorance that led this topic astray,but thats what you wimps do,you are what you are and nothing can change you now, your not only a sad little ridiculous excuse for a man but a pathetic one also.
@kramden If being an illiterate was your goal, you’re a tremendous success. Congratulations.
@ Johnny Are you embarrassed to be so ignorant? You’re ridiculous.
@ Johnny Are you embarrassed to be so ignorant?
David,you stick with your liberal, racial Anti American channels were your two mugger friends will be hailed as victims.
@David
FYI Fox News is a corporation.
@Kramden Fox News is owned by news corp. which is a corporation. I still have not expressed “dislike” for Fox ( a corporation)just their viewers. They’ can’t seem to read. Please take a remedial reading class.
If reading your silly comments requires reading skills, I’d rather be illiterate.
Correction, Back Pack.
Where In the four photos does It show that these too men attacked anyone.
And what Is lying on the floor be low ATM on the right, they look like floppies,
and on the left looks like a pack back.
Anthony Blackwood We see you also have a reading comprehension problem. Nothing I wrote suggested a cotempt of Corporations. Just pointing out a corporations responsibility or lack of responsibility,in securing a safe environment for my friends, family and neighbors to transact business does not mean someone “dislikes” corporations. That is so Fox News. I bet you think brainwashing doesn’t work. Your second post is just another example of the dumbing down of a typical Fox News chest pounding blowhard. I heard a similar response from my 3 year old when I sent her to her room for teasing her younger brother. “You’re sending me to my room because you hate me”.
true Julia, and poor David has a dislike for corporations too. The very people that help pay his section 8 rent
David can’t resist attacking Fox News! What a loser.
Anthony Blackwood sounds like a Fox watching chest pounding blowhard. Corporations are above reproach and criticism. Chase is making money dispensing cash at those ATM’s and a required to provide some degree of public security in the form of proper lighting, properly functioning equipment and providing video surveillance just to name a few. From the look of the grainy photos released by Chase they are fooling the public into believing that an adequate surveillance system is in place when this is obviously not the case. Anthony is one naive fool if he believes the police could be every where. Does Anthony really think these two punks didn’t survey the area before their crime?
I called the Chase branch to voice my concerns as to the lack of and quality the security cameras and to inquire about what was being done to rectify the situation. I spoke to Yolanda, unable to get a last name, who was extremely rude and unhelpful. I then called the corporate customer service, 800-935-9935, which responded in a professional manner. She could not speak to specific actions but did register my complaint about both the cameras and the poor customer service at the branch. Maybe they need to hear from more of us.
Here’s a picture from 1837 – one of the first ever taken – for comparison:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/Daguerreotype_Daguerre_Atelier_1837.jpg
Hello Cathy Nolan from the 7 train where our motto is never a day without a major delay! Keep running Cathy.
Cathy couldn’t run if she tried.
chase should be sued for criminal neglect embarrass them into using at least $30 cameras from best buy
Wow, Van Dooty woke up from his nap again! Now he’s going to demand chase get better cameras. But while all the small business struggles and he doesn’t do shit or say shit he goes to bat agains a billion dollar bank that won’t answer his calls.
How about a protest against chase to shut their ass down from letting robberies continue old people from getting mugged and them from ripping everyone off and hiring only anyone except a Caucasian. Their is not one white person working there.
Thumbs up just for your screen name.
If you buy 3 iPhones, extract the cameras and connect / code them to the a $35 Raspberry Pi you’ll get better quality. A fuckin shame!
By some of your comments one would think that it was a Chase employee that attacked the elderly gentleman. Place blame where it firmly lays and that is the administration of this city and the police dept who were hired to protect you. The 108 must be sitting back and grinning with the residents of Sunnyside blaming the cameras and forgetting that they are not doing their job. Did the catch the two thugs that robbed the deli on skilman last month..NO
stfu! You make zero sense. The police was supposed to be there before the robbery? The police supposed to find suspects with blurry faces? Oh ok. The building and corporation is responsible for security at a bank, not the police.
So sad that a decent man has to go through this, Two gutless scumbags
it’s true. nowadays we have hd everything except for that which is supposed to give us a vague sense of security.
The camera on 48th and QB is by a Duane Reade, not a Rite-Aid.
You are 100% right. Thanks for pointing it out. Correction has been made.
Chase’s lack of involvement and response is very disturbing. I suggest JVB request Chase’s presence at the November 108th precinct meeting to provide an explanation to Sunnysiders. If they don’t show up, then perhaps they no longer belong in our community and we should let them know that.
Banks have more money than God. It’s criminal that they don’t have better security cameras.