String of break-ins at tech stores leave business owners on edge
As News 12 has reported, multiple break-ins have been reported in Babylon, Carle Place, Lynbrook and Hicksville.
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A string of smash-and-grab burglaries across Long Island has left business owners on edge.
Police say thieves are targeting stores where they can get in and out quickly. Multiple break-ins have been reported in Babylon, Carle Place, Lynbrook and Hicksville.
"It's heartbreaking really," says Nora, owner of iFixScreens Carle Place. "It's devastating because this is when we make money. We're going into a slow season after this."
"We really depend on this time of year" says Samran Khalid, owner of the Lynbrook iFixScreens store. "Two weeks before Christmas, right after even Black Friday is when we really depend on these device sales because people are looking to gift to their kids."
News 12 has asked Nassau and Suffolk police multiple times if these incidents are related. They said the investigation is ongoing.
At the Carle Place store, security footage shows four people breaking in and taking more than $30,000 worth of devices.
"They ran in, ransacked the place, grabbed whatever they can. They knew what they were doing. They grabbed things super, super quick and they were gone," says Nora. "They stole a bunch of customer's iPads, a bunch of their phones.”
Their sister store in Lynbrook experienced a break-in just a couple days later. Videos from security cameras in both stores show people smashing a glass door, entering the store and leaving in under two minutes. Khalid says the items stolen from his location were valued at $18,000.
"It was heartbreaking because I built this business from the ground up," he says.
Police say the most recent incident happened early Sunday morning at Phone Repair on South Broadway in Hicksville. Surveillance video shows three people using a brick to smash the glass at the front of the store while a fourth suspect waited outside in a red SUV. The video then shows the suspects peeling back the damaged glass and running inside.
The store manager says the suspects stole about $12,000 worth of merchandise, including iPhones, MacBooks and computer monitors. Several display cases inside the store were also damaged.
Businesses say they want to see more patrols near businesses, especially at night.
"It's been pretty safe all these years, but we feel pretty unsafe," says Khalid.
