All too often ATM thefts go horribly wrong. Recently a man in Australia attempted one such crime and he was forced to flee the scene empty-handed.

All too often, ATM thefts go horribly wrong. Recently a man in Australia attempted one such crime and he was forced to flee the scene empty-handed.

The unidentified male was captured on CCTV footage approaching the machine located in a Darwin suburb with a garment covering his face. It looks like the suspect lit some sort of explosive device and then placed it into the ATM.

He didn’t have any time to move back. Immediately after he let go of the device, the machine exploded and huge flames broke out.

He was knocked to the ground by the force of the blast, which was so strong that the man’s flip flops were knocked clean off his feet. Somehow the suspect was able to stand up, but instead of searching for money he ran away barefoot.

Police Superintendent Bob Harrison remarked “"In relation to sophistication it wasn't something that was done by somebody who had expertise. It looks as though some sort of gas was used to get into the machine.”

Investigators have not yet located the man, but they suspect he is behind a similar crime involving an ATM that occurred on Christmas Eve.