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Surveillance camera catches 3 men trying to rob car wash with blow torch

LAWRENCE, Mass. — Surveillance cameras at a car wash in Lawrence caught three suspects in the act as they attempted to use a blow torch to steal money.

The men were also armed with a crowbar and a sledgehammer as they attempted to bust open a pay station at Haffner's Car Wash.

According to surveillance footage, the men backed a stolen SUV into the car wash at approximately 3:15 a.m. on Sunday.

As they pulled up to the cash and ticket taker, one of the masked suspects used a blow torch to try and steal the money inside.

"We had about 650 cars done, it was a really, really busy day," said Patrick Bernard, an employee at Haffner's Car Wash. "(There was) a good $6,000 in there."

Police say that, when the blow torch failed to open the metal box, the suspects resorted to using a crowbar and a sledgehammer, also unsuccessfully.

After the failed attempt at opening the box, the suspects fled in the stolen SUV. They are still on the run and the car still hasn't been recovered

Bernard says he learned of the failed robbery when he got to work just hours after the suspects fled the scene.

"After that I was like, wow, I was in shock because this place has never been broken into, ever," said Bernard. "Who knows what could happen next - they already came with a torch, who knows what could come next."

Bernard now admits he's worried about his safety since he's sometimes the only one working a night shift.

The car wash says they're looking at ways to increase security and make sure money doesn't stay in the machines overnight.

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