A series of smash-and-grab burglaries in a trendy Philadelphia neighborhood, often considered safe, has left business owners surprised and frustrated.
A burglar used a heavy planter to smash in the glass front door of Resurrection Ale House at Grays Ferry Avenue and Catherine Street in Southwest Center City around 3 a.m. Monday morning.
Owner Lee Maida tells NBC10.com the burglar first tried to break in through a window and then went for the front door.
"It sucks," she said. "They tried to grab the register, but flubbed it."
She posted several photos of the crime's aftermath onthe restaurant's Twitter account. One photo shows a cash register in pieces on the floor. Maida says the register, like always, was empty.
Five blocks away, at 21st and South Streets, a similar incident was reported at Honey’s Sit & Eat around the same time on Monday morning.
Manager Jo Joseph says the burglar was caught on surveillance video throwing a brick through a window to get inside the eatery.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
"He broke the glass window, tried to take the register, but left when he realized it was empty," she said.
It was the same M.O. at two other restaurants early Monday morning, but those times the thief made off with cash.
The suspect threw a brick through the side window of Gavin's Cafe at 25th and Pine Streets overnight and swiped $190, police said.
At 4:22 a.m., the thief was able to get $50 after breaking into Dmitri's restaurant at 22nd and Pine Streets.
In all the cases, Philadelphia Police detectives are investigating. Maida says the detective dusted for prints at Resurrection.
The first incident came two days earlier. Sometime early Saturday someone smashed the side window of Omega Pizza at 22nd and South Street.
Philadelphia Police could be seen inside the pizza place gathering evidence Saturday morning. It appeared that not only did the thief smash the window but also beer case inside Omega.
By late afternoon, Omega was back up and operating after cleaning up the glass and replacing the window.
Resurrection has since cleaned up from the crime and opened on Monday night, according to Meida. Honey's also opened.
Although the burglaries all took place in a small area, Maida said she only learned about the other incidents through friends or on social media.
“There should be some sort of way for business owners in the area to communicate with each other when something like this happens," she said.
Photo: Aftermath of burglary at Resurrection Ale House showing broken cash register on the floor. (Credit: Resurrection Ale House)
