NEDERLAND — Nederland police are searching for at least four people who they said used a stolen vehicle to break into an ATM machine early Thursday morning.

Assistant Chief Andy Arnold said a vehicle was stolen from the 900 block of 31^st Street at approximately 5 a.m., and the thieves used the vehicle as an instrument to break into an ATM at Chase Bank on FM 365 in Nederland.

“They ended up busting open the ATM and getting a large amount of cash,” Arnold said. “Right now we have four suspects and are still working the preliminary stages of the investigation, looking at video evidence and evidence at the scene.”

After the criminals grabbed the cash, they abandoned the stolen vehicle and hopped into a get-away vehicle and left the scene.

Police are checking to see if there are links between the Nederland crime and an attempted theft of an ATM at a bank in Orange.

“We’ve heard multiple reports of other ATM break-ins of similar character in the past weeks, but we don’t know if they are connected,” Arnold said.

Arnold said sometimes there are criminal groups that do these types of crimes to fund their operations.

“We don’t know if that is what this is, but we do know this has happened in the metro areas and, being off the I-10 corridor makes us a vulnerable target,” he said.

Individuals with information about this crime can call Nederland Police dispatch at 409-722-4965 or Crime Stoppers of Southeast Texas at 409-833-TIPS. You won’t be asked your name and you may be eligible for a cash reward. You can also make an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers by downloading the P3 Tips app on your smartphone.