Two Stolen Red-Light Cameras Recovered

Only On Fox: A hard to pull off high-tech crime has city officials scratching their heads in disbelief.

Thieves stole two red-light cameras off their poles at Roosevelt Boulevard and Red Lion Road.

The very expensive cameras turned up in New York City along with nearly two dozen cameras swiped in the Big Apple, reported Fox 29's Dave Schratwieser.

They are the high-tech cameras that stop drivers from blowing through red-lights at busy intersections on Roosevelt Boulevard. While they may be effective in stopping red-light running drivers, they couldn't prevent thieves from actually stealing the cameras themselves.

"It's gutsy. It's not something I want to see happening here in our city," says Councilman Frank Rizzo.

City officials tell Fox 29 News thieves recently stole two $4500 high-tech cameras at Roosevelt Boulevard and Red Lion Road. They were mounted in locked boxes atop poles in the southbound lanes. The cameras were recovered in New York City when the NYPD locked up 45-year-old Anthony Cintorrino and a friend who they say used a bucket truck to swipe 22 high-end Nikon red-light cameras.

“The actual camera being stolen wouldn't enter onto anybody's top ten list of what you think could happen,” says Chris Vogler of Philadelphia Parking Authority.

The stolen camera caper was first detected by the NYPD when detectives in New York tracked down the location where the stolen cameras were being resold. They checked the serial numbers from almost two dozen cameras and traced two of them back to Philadelphia.

The Parking Authority did detect a broken signal coming from Red Lion and the Boulevard. A service crew checked and found the cameras missing.

“Automatically went up, filed a police report at the 7th Police District and then those cameras were replaced,” says Vogler.

Councilman Rizzo, who championed red-light cameras, wants the thieves caught and prosecuted. He also wants a tamper detector installed on the cameras.

“I would think there would be an immediate notification of some tampering or theft of equipment,” believes Rizzo.

Detectives are now trying to figure out who stole the cameras and whether it was an "inside job.”

The NYPD plans to return the cameras to Philadelphia. On-site checks will now be made each week.