US man takes his golden opportunity

  • 01/12/2016
The man took the bucket from the back of an armoured vehicle when the guards weren't looking (NYPD)
The man took the bucket from the back of an armoured vehicle when the guards weren't looking (NYPD)

This man may have stolen the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

New York City police have released CCTV footage of the moment the man stole the 39kg bucket of gold shavings.

The video shows him stealing it off an armoured truck in broad daylight with many people walking past.

Police are calling him an "opportunist" who possibly didn't know exactly what was in the bucket. In fact it was NZ$2.25m worth of gold flakes on their way to Canada.

The man paced for about two minutes then, while two guards stepped away from the truck, he swiped the bucket and bolted.

The crime originally happened on September 29 around 4.30pm, but he's evaded police for two months prompting authorities to ask for the public's help.

Miraculously the man walked for an hour across the city without being stopped. At one stage he even put the bucket down to give himself a break.

Police say they got a tip that the suspect could be in Florida.

Newshub.