Security camera captures attempted ATM theft at Marcola restaurant

Sep 17, 2023

MARCOLA, Ore. – A man broke into a Marcola restaurant early Wednesday morning, attempted to steal an ATM machine inside, and quickly gave up once he realized it was bolted to the floor.

The incident happened at about 1 a.m. on June 7, with security camera footage incident surfacing on Facebook. Patrick Davidson, day manager of the Marcola Roadhouse, said the incident was a shock and due to it being such a rare type of occurrence.

"No, everything's good, I mean, things like that don't happen out here so it was a bit of a shock, kinda scared people, like why is someone breaking into our building," Davidson said. "But no one got hurt, everything's safe, everything got replaced, so we're good."

Davidson said that the restaurant opened a bit later than usual at 12:30 p.m., instead of their normal 11 a.m. opening time, due to the necessary cleanup and repair of the broken glass front door. The ATM machine itself wasn't damaged in the incident, he said.

In the security camera footage, the perpetrator, described by Davidson as skinny, about 6 feet tall, and wearing a mask, breaks through the glass front door, heads straight for the ATM, quickly gives up, and leaves the same way he came in. Davidson estimates that the culprit was inside the restaurant for only about 30 seconds, after he apparently realized that "one person carrying it would be impossible."

Davidson said additional measures are being sought to bolster the restaurant's security.