A social media influencer known for filming himself speeding through dense city traffic in luxury cars at ultra-high speeds and baiting police into chases, was charged by authorities for a series of robberies in Bergen County that targeted ATMs and luxury handbags at a consignment shop, police alleged in charging documents.

Antonio Ginestri, 19, of Queens, New York was arrested on May 16 after authorities said he along with others robbed a number of businesses across New Jersey, New York and other states.

In New Jersey, police said Ginistri and his co-conspirators robbed a consignment business of more than US$38,000 in designer handbags in January and then targeted ATMs at gas station convenience stores in February.

Police said Ginestri - an influencer known on Instagram and YouTube as Squeeze.Benz who has over one million followers - along with two others, including a 16-year-old, became primary suspects in the string of robberies based on cellular data locations as well as video surveillance that identified a BMW used in several of the robberies.

According to an affidavit of probable cause for Ginestri’s arrest, on Jan. 27 police in Tenafly responded to a burglary at a consignment store on West Railroad Avenue where the suspects had broken the front window and stolen US$38,950 in handbags and other goods.

The owner of the consignment store declined to comment on the arrest of suspects in the burglary.

Investigators discovered two previous robberies at a clothing store in Jersey City on Jan 25 and 26 had similar descriptions to the suspects as the robbery in Tenafly, according to charging documents. A communications data warrant later revealed that Ginestri’s cellular device was in the area at the time of the robberies at all three locations and the same dark colored BMW was also identified at all three crime scenes, officials said.

The same BMW was allegedly involved in at least two additional robberies in February, officials said in charging documents.

On Feb 6 at about 3.35am., police in Hasbrouck Heights responded to a report of a burglary in progress at a Shell gas station on Route 17 North. An employee told authorities that three suspects pulled up in a BMW SUV and stole an ATM machine before putting it in the BMW and driving away, charging documents show.

Surveillance footage from the incident showed the vehicle had New Jersey license plates and was identified in other robberies in the area, according to police. Hasbrouck Heights police contacted Fairfield detectives about the robbery investigation and used another cellular data warrant which identified Ginestri’s phone in the area during the time of the robbery at the Shell station, police said.

About an hour earlier around 2am. on Feb 6, police in Fairfield were called to the Speedway on Route 46 for a report of a burglary that Ginestri and his co-conspirators eventually became suspects in, according to officials. Fairfield police said Ginestri and the other suspects were identified in a stolen BMW X7 that was wanted in other burglaries that same morning in Roseland and Secaucus, in addition to the Shell robbery in Hasbrouck Heights.

Three days later, on Feb 9, authorities said Ginestri and the two other suspects stole another ATM machine from a Dunkin Donuts in Garfield. The ATM contained approximately US$4,000 in cash and the machine was valued at US$2,500 , police said. This time, a Dunkin Donuts employee told police Ginestri kicked the employee while stealing the ATM, charging documents show.

Surveillance video captured the entire incident, police said in the affidavit of probable cause, while adding that a multi-agency investigation concluded that the same three suspects had committed several other burglaries of ATMs across New Jersey and New York.

Ginestri was arrested on May 16 in New York, Fairfield police said. The 16-year-old co-conspirator was arrested as well. The juvenile was not named by authorities.

The third suspect was not identified by authorities and it was not clear whether the suspect had been arrested or charged.

Ginestri is being held in the Bergen County Jail on separate charges, which were not identified by authorities.

An attorney for Ginestri did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but told NJ Advance Media on July 17, when Ginestri’s arrest was announced, that he was appealing the detention.

 - TNS