Thieves break into several Brooklyn restaurants overnight
BAY RIDGE, Brooklyn (WABC) -- Police are searching for three thieves who broke into several restaurants overnight in Brooklyn and are warning the area to be alert.
At 3:30 a.m. on Friday, surveillance cameras show a hooded figure breaking into a closed restaurant in Bay Ridge, looking around with a flashlight and rooting around the basement.
When staff arrived at 8 a.m. they found the office door kicked in and a safe broken open.
Kristina Koleva is a manager at Bar Chuzo - one of three restaurants on Third Avenue that were burglarized on Friday morning.
"They just took everything that was in the safe, and that was that - very disappointing and like we were talking about it, how, you know, this neighborhood is very safe and like, you know, now it's like questioning what's going on," Koleva said.
Other spots that were hit were Cebu on 88th Street and Kettle Black on 87th Street.
According to the NYPD, it all happened between 3 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. -- police put out an alert to warn other restaurants in the busy neighborhood to take extra precautions like activating alarms, inspecting entry points and considering additional lighting.
"Now we're like rethinking everything, how we're going to keep everything safer and, like, you know, move us far or like, not even keep anything in the restaurant just to be safe because, you know, we never know when that can happen again," added Koleva.
Italian spot, Brooklyn Roots was not broken into, but owner and chef Thomas Perone says the restaurant community in Bay Ridge is supportive of each other.
"Anything that happens on the avenue, there's a group text messages, a bunch of them. And then we just, you know, get to the bottom of the problem. And luckily, we all get along like that. But this is unfortunate because it's a very rough time for restaurants and to be losing money. Now, on top of everything else, it's not good," said Perone.
Despite it all, business was back to usual on Friday night - but with some extra vigilance.
Police believe three people were involved in the restaurant break-ins, but no arrests have been made.
