New York thief grabs pot of gold off armored truck: police

[December 02, 2016]    NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York police are searching for a green-clad man who swiped an 86-pound (39 kg) pail of gold flakes off an armored truck two months ago and disappeared with the estimated $1.6 million in treasure.

The city's police department late Tuesday released photos and video of the suspect, who was lingering near the truck on the afternoon of Sept. 29 and took advantage of a moment of distraction by its security guards to snatch the five-gallon (19-liter) bucket.

The video shows him walking away with some difficulty, likely due to the weight of the bucket.

An unidentified man is shown in this still image from surveillance video carrying a 86-pound pail of gold flakes valued at $1.6 million off an armored truck two months ago in Manhattan provided by the New York Police Department in New York, November 30, 2016. Courtesy of NYPD/Handout via REUTERS

The theft happened on a busy stretch of 48th Street in the borough of Manhattan, near the Rockefeller Center office and shopping complex, police said.

Police, who said they believe the man has since fled to Florida, described him as 50 to 60 years old, Hispanic and wearing a black vest and green shirt.

(Reporting by David Ingram; editing by Scott Malone, G Crosse)

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