A brick-throwing bandit broke into two North Fork businesses overnight — swiping about $900 from one, police said.
The brazen break-ins occurred between midnight and 5:15 a.m. Thursday at Center Cuts in Mattituck andLa Antigua deli in Cutchogue, according to Police Chief Steve Grattan.
In both cases, the thief “used a brick or cinder block to smash through the front glass door or window to gain entry,” he told The Suffolk Times on Friday.
At La Antigua, located at 29095 Main Road, both cash registers were damaged and roughly $900 was stolen, police said. Center Cuts, about three miles east on County Road 25, reported nothing missing.
Anthony Beilman, manager of Center Cuts, said he got a call from the owner around 7 a.m. Thursday and rushed over to the store. He found a hole in the front door, glass scattered across the floor and a trail leading toward the register.
“I was expecting a place to be flipped upside down. I don’t know what spooked him, but he didn’t take a single dollar,” said Mr. Beilman. “There was even a tip jar on the counter with money still in it. Something must have spooked him, and he kind of walked out, but, yeah, a little scary.”
Police believe the incidents are likely connected.
“Based on location and the MO, I think it’s safe to assume that was done by the same individual,” Chief Grattan said.
The investigation is ongoing, and both businesses are working with police to share surveillance footage, Chief Grattan said.
Source: The Suffolk Times
