Last fall, a man was caught on video casually walking off with $1.6 million in gold left in an unattended armored truck. Because of his lackadaisical brazenness, the man became something of an online folk hero. “Only in New York,” seemed to be the general reaction, rather than one of outrage or concern.
WANTED: Male Hispanic 5’6”, 150lbs, 50-60y/o for burglary in Midtown Man. Took 5 gallon pail containing gold worth $1.6mil. Call #800577TIPS pic.twitter.com/k2xT3ZkNi0
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) December 2, 2016
Alas, the Washington Post reports that on Tuesday, four months after his alleged crime, the alleged thief—Julio Nivelo, 53—was arrested in his home country of Ecuador by local police and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.
The bold theft took place on September 29 on 48th Street in Manhattan near Rockefeller Center. As the guards of the truck were standing at its front, apparently distracted and talking with each other, Nivelo allegedly walked up, grabbed a bucket containing 86-pounds of melted down gold bars, and strolled away like he didn’t have a care in the world. After weeks without a lead, the NYPD released surveillance of the incident in December, quickly turning Nivelo into a sort of internet celebrity.
WANTED: NYC gold thief id'd as Julio Nivelo. Stole bucket of gold worth $1.6mil off Midtown truck: NYPD @NBCNewYork pic.twitter.com/KSkPm3SHZA
— Marc Santia (@MarcSantia4NY) December 20, 2016
The guards were eventually cleared of helping Nivelo but were reportedly fired for presumed negligence. It’s unclear how the 53-year-old was tracked to Ecuador but the operation was reportedly named Operation Lucky Charms.
