NEW BRITAIN, Conn.—The 911 call made in relation to a CU exec whose home had been invaded and who had been sent by would-be robbers to get money out of his credit union has been released.
The 911 call was made by Andrew Kimenski, CEO of Achieve Financial Credit Union, who calmly explains to police that he has been contacted by his CFO who said he had been the victim of a home invasion, that he had been instructed to rob the credit union, and that the CFO’s mother was also a hostage, with the robbers claiming a bomb had been placed under her bed.
The CFO, Matthew Yussman, also had been told by the would-be robbers that the vest they had given him to wear was a bomb. Later investigation showed that it was a fake. Yussman had been instructed to drive to his credit union, empty the vault and return with the cash.
According to Hartford Courant, the 911 call came in at 8:20 a.m. to Berlin, Conn. police and was transferred to Bristol, Conn. police.
CALLER: “Yes, my name is Andrew Kimenski of the Achieve Financial Credit Union headquartered in Berlin.”
BERLIN DISPATCHER: “OK.”
CALLER: “And I just received a call a few minutes ago from one of our VPs who states that he’s a victim of a home invasion overnight. That his mom, who resides with him, is strapped to a bomb, as well as him. And he’s instructing me to vacate our branch in New Britain because one of the perpetrators is going to accompany him to clear out cash. And I have no reason not to believe that, what he’s saying or how he feels.”
BERLIN DISPATCHER: “OK, where does he live?”
CALLER: “He lives in Bristol.”
BERLIN DISPATCHER: “OK. And you need the branch in New Britain evacuated?”
CALLER: “I am instructing the staff there to vacate the branch and come to Berlin, correct.”
BERLIN DISPATCHER: “OK.”
CALLER: “I don’t know who to talk to. This isn’t a normal circumstance. I probably need to talk to some officer in charge.”
DISPATCHER: “OK, cuz yeah, you’re either going to need to go to New Britain or you’ll have to go to Bristol. Did he contact Bristol police at all about what’s going on?”
CALLER: “No, he contacted me and he told me not to contact authorities.”
DISPATCHER: “I’m going to transfer you to Bristol police, for where he is.”
CALLER: “OK, thank you.”
BRISTOL DISPATCHER: Bristol 911. Is this an emergency?
CALLER: “Yes, um, I was transferred from Berlin Dispatch: “My name is Andrew Kimenski of Achieve Financial Credit Union, we have main headquarters in Berlin. Five minutes ago I just received on my cell phone a call from one of our VPs who’s a resident of Bristol saying he and his mom, who live together, is the victim right now of a home invasion overnight. He states that he’s strapped to, he has a bomb, he’s sitting in his car in the garage. That the perpetrators also put a bomb under the mother’s bed.
And he’s instructing me to vacate our New Britain branch because they’re going to come and rob it with cash. And that the employees are to leave. I have no reason – obviously, making this call – to believe that this is in fact is, something is taking place with him.”
BRISTOL DISPATCHER: “OK. What’s the address, sir, that he lives at?”
CALLER: “He lives on – sigh – Lufkin Lane?”
BRISTOL DISPATCHER: “Do you have the house number?”
CALLER: “I do, hold on.”
BRISTOL DISPATCHER: “And have you contacted the New Britain office while I have you there or did you call me first?”
CALLER: “I called 911 and got Berlin and so they had me transferred to Bristol first because that’s where he resides.”
BRISTOL DISPATCHER: “OK.”
End of tape.
Robbers Believed To Have Inside Knowledge
The Hartford Courant reported that other calls made later in the afternoon and released by the police provide indications that whoever the robbers were had knowledge of how financial institutions work, with Kimenski saying that Yussman had been told to “provide lists of bait money.”
Yussman did drive to the credit union, but remained in its snow-filled parking lot and was soon surrounded by police and never entered the credit union. The bomb squad removed the device from around Yussman’s neck. When police arrived at Yussman’s home his mother had freed herself after being tied to a bed, and walked out of the house. No device of any kind was found beneath the bed.
The robbers had told Yussman that he and his mother would be freed when he returned with the money.
Police said that at one point the robbers texted Yussman and asked, “How much do you have?”
Yussman texted back, “Over a million.”
The robbers replied, “That is good. 1m. Get in the car.”
The robbers instructed Yussman to drive to a meeting in a local cemetery.
An ABC News report can be found here.
Police have formed a task force to investigate the crime. At least two suspects remain at large.