Man arrested following string of burglaries at mom-and-pop clothing store in Bridgeport, CT
BRIDGEPORT, Connecticut (WABC) -- There's a sense of justice for a mom-and-pop clothing store in Bridgeport, Connecticut, that has been the target of a string of thefts over several months.
Just hours after Eyewitness News reported on the break-ins at Jimmy's Clothing & Footwear, the store was targeted again, but this time, the suspect didn't get far.
Store owner Dave Schneider described getting an alert from his alarm company telling him his store had been vandalized again... the eighth time in four months.
At 12:45 a.m. on Wednesday, he shot video of the suspect.
Bridgeport police did in fact make an arrest a few blocks away after Schneider provided them with the footage showing the suspect walking past his store.
"Within 11 minutes, the officer said, 'we got him.' I got very emotional," Schneider said. "It's been a long time."
On Wednesday, crews worked to replace the shattered display window on the side of the store.
Previous break-ins were caught on surveillance video. Detectives are now working to link 46-year-old Michael Young to the earlier burglaries.
One clue detectives have is the Red Sox sweatshirt the suspect was wearing at the time of arrest matches one stolen during another smash-and-grab burglary.
On Wednesday morning, representatives from the police department and mayor's office visited the 105-year-old mom-and-pop business, in an effort to reassure Schneider and his 92-year-old father who had expressed frustration that detectives hadn't handled the case seriously.
"It's important for us to come out here with the assistant chief and our team to pop in and let them know we support them, be present and provide them with anything that they need," said Deputy Chief Administrative Officer David Reyes.
"We're just happy this over for now," Schneider said.
A chapter has closed, but the store's owners say they will move forward with plans to install gates to, "better be safe than sorry."
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