Caught on camera: Burglars target Dominican restaurant, causing $10K in damage
Surveillance video shows a suspect kicking in a glass door at Ruta 55 Restaurant on Lafayette Avenue early Friday morning.
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The owner of a Dominican restaurant in Hunts Point is facing thousands of dollars in damage after a burglary, with repair costs far exceeding the cash that was stolen.
Surveillance video shows a suspect kicking in a glass door at Ruta 55 Restaurant on Lafayette Avenue early Friday morning. The person is seen heading straight to the register, ripping it from the counter - wires and all – and then walking out the same way they entered.
"It was pretty shocking to us," said Griselys Nunez, co-owner of Ruta 55 Restaurant.
Nunez, who opened the restaurant in 2020, said the business operates on slim margins, offering affordable meals to the community, including $6 lunch specials.
"We're not a large corporation. We're not making tons of money. Our margins are very, very slim," she said. "So it's really hard to survive as it is."
She said two people were involved in the break-in. While about $1,500 in cash was taken, the suspects left behind nearly $10,000 in damage.
The restaurant had not experienced a burglary since opening, and Nunez said she believes the suspects are not from the neighborhood.
"We are really close with everybody," she said.
As police search for the suspects, Nunez is raising money to cover repairs, hoping to continue serving the community that relies on her business.
