Crooks target water bottle vending machines in North Valley

LIVINGSTON, Calif. (KFSN) -- Police are tracking a new crime trend in the North Valley. Crooks are targeting water bottle vending machines from Fresno to Livingston, stealing thousands of dollars and leaving a trail of costly destruction behind them.

Livingston police say this new approach to crime is bold. Every time a thief breaks into one of these machines, they walk away with several hundred dollars.

North Valley investigators say five water bottle vending machines throughout Livingston are now busted. The cash boxes inside were ripped or even cut out.

"That's the thing about it, I guess, maybe their advantage it doesn't seem to be out of the norm to see someone standing here for a while," said Sgt. John Ramirez. "Maybe having some here with a bottle so it doesn't look out of the ordinary also."

Sgt. Ramirez says crooks hit three locations. The incidents were reported Friday. But he says water vendors up and down the Valley are reporting this type of rip off.

"It's been happening from Fresno to Modesto," he said. "There're several hundred machines between that stretch of 99."

Right now police are studying surveillance video, but without knowing exactly when the vending machines were hit discovering any critical evidence will take a while.

"The ones we have in town are pretty much the same MO," Sgt. Ramirez said. "The way they broke into them and the timing. So we speculate that it's the same people in Livingston, at least, for sure."

Sgt. Ramirez says it's important to watch for suspicious behavior around these vending machines. Not only are thieves taking off with hundreds or thousands of dollars but they're leaving behind hundreds of dollars in damage at each machine.

Anyone with information about the theft is asked to call Livingston police.