Police: $17K Worth Of Computers Stolen From West Philadelphia School
By Justin Udo and David Spunt
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) --A West Philadelphia elementary school is without thousands of dollars of computers after police say someone stole them.
Authorities responded to Our Mother of Sorrows/St. Ignatius of Loyola at 637 North 43rd Street Thursday morning, after administrators reported the theft. Detectives believe the computers were stolen sometime late Wednesday evening.
Authorities say it was reported 30 iPads, three laptops, and two MacBook Pros were taken.
"It's heartbreaking," Jennifer Simmons, the religious school director at the church complex, told Eyewitness News.
Authorities say the school is missing $17,620 worth of computer equipment. Simmons told Eyewitness News most of the technology inside the school is from grants, and it won't be easy to get back.
"It's just very upsetting. You just can't imagine that someone would do this to a poor school and we count on everything that we have," Simmons said.
Authorities say the burglar cut a lock, broke into the building, and walked off with as much as possible.
"It's a huge hit," Lt. John Walker with Philadelphia Police said.
Walker said he expects the goods to be sold on the street for quite a bargain.
"If you're buying them for $100 or $200, they're most likely stolen, so we're asking that you do the right thing for the kids. Not for yourself or anyone else, but the kids who go to this school," Walker said.
Detectives are working to track down individual serial numbers of each computer, hoping they can find and return them to the students of St. Ignatius.
If you have any information, you can call the police tip line at 215-686-TIPS and you can remain anonymous.