2 Bronx bodegas burglarized within 24 hours; owners say thieves got away with nearly $130,000 in cash, goods
NEW YORK -- Two Bronx bodegas were burglarized within 24 hours of each other this week, and the owners say the thieves got away with a total of nearly $130,000 in cash and goods.
Surveillance video taken in the early hours of Tuesday morning shows three men case A&G Grocery on Prospect Avenue. Eventually, one shatters the storefront glass while another runs inside.
"There were two in the store, one outside," bodega owner Alicia Fernández said.
Hopping over the counter, this suspect stuffs a bag with lottery tickets, cigarettes, all the cash in the register and the drawer full of coins.
"All the expensive stuff, you know? And they don't take more because they don't have no time," Fernández said.
Just 24 hours before, the owner of Los Castillos Mini Market on University Avenue says a group of people broke in and stole $100,000 soon after the store closed for the night. They were able to steal it from different parts of the store. In that incident, they used a crowbar to break in through the back entrance.
Fernández, who knows her fellow bodega owner, says they need more support.
"More officers and more in the street. We could be a little more safe," she said.
United Bodegas of America has a $15,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
"Whenever you see something happening that's irregular, call 911. Help the small business person who's serving you," said Fernando Mateo, with United Bodegas of America.
Fernández says she's grateful no one was in the store at the time of the burglary.
While the UBA believes the two burglaries are connected, police say it's too early in the investigation to determine if that's the case.