Business owners in Port Jefferson say break-ins are costing them thousands of dollars in repairs.
Multiple businesses along North Bicycle Path near Route 112 say they have been broken into many times. The business owners say that each crime is costing them thousands of dollars in repairs, which can cost much more than whatever was taken.
Jeanette Gross, the owner of On The Edge dance studio, says her space has been broken into three times this year. Gross doesn't keep any cash in the office and says that the burglar does more damage than anything else, but it keeps happening and is costing her thousands.
Robert Corbett, of the Cornercopia Café, says he wakes up every night thinking that his store is going to be broken into again. Corbett says he has been broken into three times as well.
“Each window is $350 to $400 to fix. They've broken six. Each cash register is $500 to $600, and they've smashed two,” he says.
Corbett says several other business owners around tell similar stories. Some blame the drug epidemic while others say police aren't doing enough.
Victor Giancola, who owns several buildings in the neighborhood, says he hopes police increase patrols in the area or else he feels his tenants might not renew their leases.