A Wethersfield business is trying to decide what to do after hundreds of dollars’ worth of items were taken in the middle of the day.
In surveillance video from March 7, you can see a silver minivan drive up and back in to the spot closest to True Value Hardware in Wethersfield. A camera pointed inside shows someone quickly enter the front door and then walk out. A snow blower is then seen being wheeled away. The minivan's rear hatch opens and closes, and then the driver takes off.
"I felt violated. I felt terrible," said owner Joseph Scarpantonio.
For 15 years Scarpantonio says he's never had high-priced items taken from his store on Silas Deane Highway, but now it's happened twice in less than two weeks. Scarpantonio says the most recent incident happened Monday afternoon.
"As soon as I had a power washer out there, it must have been just a few hours before it was stolen," said Scarpantonio.
Surveillance video shows someone walk up, look through the main door, and then grab the power washer and take off. Scarpantonio says they've always brought items out when opening up in the morning and brought them back in before closing for the night. It's a way for customers to get a better look at big-ticket items.
"Financially it's very traumatic. This is something you put outside that you might only profit a few dollars on," said Scarpantonio.
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Scarpantonio says the thefts have cost him hundreds of dollars and now they're rethinking how they do business.
"We're actually thinking about what we're going to do about it. Are we going to put those things outside or are we going to leave them in boxes? We're just not sure," said Scarpantonio.
The owner says he plans to increase security and hopefully it won't happen again.
NBC Connecticut did reach out to Wethersfield Police but we have not yet heard back.
