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How a Bungled Brooklyn Bank Robbery Inspired ‘Dog Day Afternoon’
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How a Bungled Brooklyn Bank Robbery Inspired ‘Dog Day Afternoon’

In 1972, John Wojtowicz, Sal Naturile, and Robert Westenberg attempted to rob a branch of the Chase Manhattan Bank in the Gravesend neighborhood of Brooklyn. What happened next inspired Al Pacino’s movie “Dog Day Afternoon.” Three gunmen entered the bank, ready to flee with cash to cover the costs of gender reassignment surgery for Wojtowicz’s ex-girlfriend. They thought it would be a simple robbery, but fate had other plans. Unbeknownst to the robbers, the money kept in the safe had already been collected, leaving the branch with half of the expected money, setting off a chain of events that excited New Yorkers.