Thieves steal rare sports memorabilia from Natick shop
NATICK - Burglars broke into a sports memorabilia store in Natick and made off with thousands of dollars in merchandise.
The crooks first broke through a front door, but when that didn't work, they chucked a rock through the window of Gilbert's Sports Memorabilia. Owner Gary Gilbert showed up to find police at his door.
"When we pulled up, the glass was just totally 100% gone [from the front door]," explained Gilbert. "They came over in this direction to hit this showcase. The vintage stuff, the good stuff, the [Hank] Aarons, [Willie] Mays, [Micky] Mantles were all in that corner. They knew what they were doing, Lebron [James], Michael [Jordan], the most elite guys. They only went after [Steph] Curry, but reached over James Harden to get to the Steph Curry, and took all the good stuff."
They made off with helmets signed by Barry Sanders and John Madden. They also swiped a ball autographed by Pele. Gilbert believes the loss could be in the 5-figure range. He believes this was a targeted attack by someone who may have been in the store before.
"Yeah, for sure, for sure. I can't imagine it wasn't. The person that was in here had a good idea where things were," said Gilbert, adding that the cash register wasn't touched.
News of the burglary quickly spread on social media. Gilbert has received hundreds of messages and phone calls from people giving him support and their business. Strangers offered to buy gift cards to the store, while some children and adults offered to give Gary parts of their own collections to make up for the loss. The store doesn't need to donations, but he is blown away by the outpouring of support.
"The last 24 hours, it's been unbelievable," said Gilbert, searching for words through his emotions.