A local Bristol business is dealing with three break-ins in just two months, the third happening Tuesday morning.
“Oh my God. It’s so frustrating,” said Big Cat’s Smoke Shop Manager Sevasti Hatzisavvas.
The first burglary at the Riverside Avenue shop happened in October, the other two in December. Hatzisavvas said each time the thief smashed through the front door and took cash from the register and a variety of vaping products. An empty shelf in the store was filled with items before the crime. In total, the shop’s owner says the thefts have cost around $10,000.
“They’re in and out anywhere from three to five minutes,” said Hatzisavvas.
The cameras inside the store weren’t working at the time, but the business next door caught a suspect walking back and forth several times, starting just before one Tuesday morning. The man in the mask knows exactly where that camera is. He looks straight at it and makes several hand gestures.
“I’m worried to come into work some days, especially if they get bolder and bolder,” said Hatzisavvas.
Hatzisavvas said the latest theft left her unnerved because more than just vaping products and cash were stolen.
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“This time they took a few hunting knives that were probably 10 to 12 inches long,” said Hatzisavvas.
Bristol Police confirmed they’re investigating and said they’ve seen several similar break-ins all across the region and believe they may be connected.
“It’s scary, you know. It’s scary. It’s frustrating, and it’s getting to the point where I don’t even want to come to work,” said Hatzisavvas.
Big Cat’s Smoke Shop is upgrading its cameras and security system to try and prevent this from happening a fourth time.
Anyone with information on these thefts is asked to call Bristol Police.
