PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. 鈥� The FBI and local police are investigating a Miami-area mystery: Who dug a narrow tunnel that burrowed beneath a road and pointed toward a quiet suburban bank branch office?
FBI spokesman Mike Leverock said Wednesday that officials were notified after a motorist reported what looked like a sinkhole in a street near a Chase Bank branch in Pembroke Pines.
Investigators found an entrance hole in a nearby wooded area that contained a small electric generator and some electrical cords. The tunnel led under the road toward the bank, a distance of about 45 meters and it was only about 60 centimeters wide.
鈥淭he only thing I鈥檝e ever seen like this is in the movies. This is truly a unique case here,鈥� Leverock said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very small, very claustrophobic.鈥�
Investigators said the tunnel appeared to be dug by hand using tools such as a pickaxe, with a small wagon used to transport dirt and rock outside, Leverock said. A small ladder and a pair of muddy boots were also found inside.
A cadaver dog determined there were no bodies inside the tunnel. It wasn鈥檛 immediately clear how long the underground structure had been there.
鈥淭hey could have been here a week ago, last night. We don鈥檛 know at this time,鈥� Leverock said.
Heavy equipment, including a backhoe, was brought in to dig up the tunnel.
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be a while,鈥� Leverock said of the investigation. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to dig up the whole thing.鈥�
There was no robbery at the bank, no arrests have been made and no suspects were immediately identified. The bank remained open Wednesday, although some drive-up windows near the tunnel were closed.
Pembroke Pines is about 32 kilometers southwest of Fort Lauderdale.
