Red light cameras stolen from Red Lion Road

By Shannon McDonald

Frenzied drivers got a brief reprieve recently when two red light cameras were stolen at Red Lion Road and Roosevelt Boulevard.

The Parking Authority sent an employee out to check the cameras, which had broken signals, only to discover the expensive equipment missing. Though new cameras were installed shortly thereafter, the missing cameras turned up in an unlikely place.

Running around $4,500 each, the cameras turned up in New York City when the NYPD arrested 45-year-old Anthony Cintorrino and a friend who stole the cameras (and 22 others in NYC) using a bucket truck.

As high-tech as the cameras are, they can’t detect any damage being done to them. Councilman Frank Rizzo hopes to fix that by installing tamper detectors on the cameras. Rizzo was behind the initial push to have the cameras installed at various high-traffic intersections around the city.

For now, weekly on-site checks will be made of the cameras to prevent further theft and damage.