In the 1980s, a mysterious man known as the “pay phone bandit” or “telephone bandit” eluded authorities while ransacking pay phones across the country, collecting up to $1 million in quarters with his expert safecracking skills. James Clark, a machinist, used custom tools to pick the locks on the coin boxes and steal the contents without leaving a trace. Despite a nationwide search, Clark managed to avoid capture for several years, using hotels and banks to exchange his stolen quarters for bills. Finally arrested in 1988 in California, Clark served multiple prison sentences before his death in 2012.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/pay-phone-bandit-baffled-fbi