Watch a Man Steal $1.6 Million Worth of Gold in the Middle of Manhattan

by Becca Stanek

Police are searching for a man who swiped $1.6 million worth of gold flakes—and then made a very, very slow escape. The heist happened on September 29, in the middle of the day in Midtown Manhattan. Surveillance video shows a man slowly approaching a momentarily unattended armored truck and grabbing a large bucket off the back of it. The New York Times reported the man "probably doesn't know what was in [the bucket]" when he steals it—but as it turned out, he struck gold. The metal bucket was filled with 86 pounds of gold flakes.

Of course, the tremendous weight of the bucket proved problematic for executing a speedy getaway. Video indicated it took the man over an hour to lug the bucket half a mile through the streets of Manhattan, and he had to stop to "catch his breath" at one point, setting the bucket down on the sidewalk, The New York Times reported.

But apparently, slow and steady really does win the race, because the man managed to get away. Police are still searching for the thief, who they described as "a Hispanic male who is about 5-feet-6-inches tall, 150 pounds, and between 50 and 60 years old." The gold flakes are still missing.

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