Suffolk County Café Owner Blames 'Out-Of-Control' Heroin Problem For Rash Of Break-Ins
PORT JEFFERSON STATION, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Suffolk County police said they are actively investigating several leads in hopes of catching whoever has been breaking into businesses in Port Jefferson Station.
The thief, or thieves have stolen thousands in cash while vandalizing the businesses.
Owner Robert Corbett said he can barely sleep at night now, after seeing his cafe on Route 112 in Port Jefferson Station broken into three times in the past year.
"The first two times they did get into the cash drawers, so now I don't leave cash in the drawers anymore," he said. "I wake up every night thinking, is this going to be the next day I'm going to get broken into."
Corbett photographed extensive damage done to his business including six busted windows and two broken cash registers.
"They smash windows, they take a piece of concrete and throw it through the window, and alarms don't help, and video cameras don't help because they're in and out in three minutes," he said.
Police said there have been similar break-ins at several businesses at a nearby strip mall, including a card shop and a hair salon.
A quarter-mile away on North Bicycle Path, a dance studio has been busted into three times in the last few months. Photographs show broken windows, but a surveillance camera inside captured an image of a thief who got away with $1,500 in one of the break-ins.
While it has given Suffolk Police a promising lead, neighboring business owners are on edge.
"It makes me feel very uncomfortable and uneasy because I might be the next victim," martial arts instructor Frank Galante said.
Corbett has numerous surveillance cameras, but he thinks he's up against a desperate addict.
"It's drugs, one hundred percent, the heroin problem here is out of control," he said.
Police have stepped up their patrols as they try to identify the suspect caught on camera.
A laundromat, a gym, and a convenience store in the area have also been broken into and robbed.