Tempe detectives say a high-dollar ATM caper that started with a hole in a nail salon roof has ended with a suspect in handcuffs, after DNA evidence allegedly tied him to a burglary that cleaned out a Wells Fargo machine of more than $155,000 in October 2024. Investigators say the burglar sliced into the salon roof near Baseline Road and S. Hardy Drive, cut through a wall into the ATM service room, then fired up a cutting torch to crack open the machine, leaving about $61,000 in damage behind. Police say the trail finally led to an arrest in California in February, following months of forensic work and cooperation between multiple agencies.
How the break-in unfolded
According to Arizona's Family, the break-in went down in the early hours of Oct. 4, 2024, at a strip-mall nail salon near Baseline Road and S. Hardy Drive. Investigators say the intruder cut through the salon's roof, then through an interior wall to reach the cramped room used to service the ATM. From there, police allege, the burglar used a cutting torch to breach the machine. Officers estimate more than $155,000 was taken and roughly $61,000 in property damage was left behind.
DNA and the multi-agency hunt
Detectives say DNA and other forensic clues eventually pointed them to 36-year-old Diego Arriagada Cornejo, who authorities describe as being from Chile and who was arrested in California in February. "This case shows the persistence of our detectives and the strength of our partnerships," Tempe Police Chief Ken McCoy said in a statement, as reported by Arizona's Family. Police say the case was built with help from partner agencies operating across state lines.
Part of a wider pattern
Local investigators and federal agents say the arrest appears to fit into a broader pattern involving transnational crews that target ATMs and vaults. The FBI's Sacramento Field Office has described so-called South American theft groups that use construction worker disguises, blowtorches, camera spray and signal jammers while traveling from state to state to hit ATMs, according to the bureau's public guidance. Reporting in the Los Angeles Times and related federal filings describe prosecutors in California tying members of similar crews to a series of multi-state robberies and indictments.
Where the case stands
Tempe police say they believe the arrest may be connected to a burglary in Paradise Valley and to similar incidents in California and Washington, and they emphasize that the investigation is still active. In social media posts announcing the arrest, the Tempe Police Department thanked partner agencies for their help and asked anyone with additional information to reach out to detectives.
Legal note
Authorities have not yet publicly detailed formal charges in Tempe tied to the arrest, and the department says the probe is ongoing. As with any arrest, the suspect is presumed innocent unless and until prosecutors file charges and a court finds him guilty.
