Burglars caught on video breaking into Cray Taste Old City restaurant

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The search is on for whoever left damage to a business in the Old City section of Philadelphia. One of the burglars was caught on camera after breaking into Cray Taste over the weekend.

It happened in the 100 block of Market Street just before 11 p.m. on Sunday.

Most of the damage is cleaned up at this point. The owner told Action News that the attempted thieves tried to get in through a window, but when they weren't successful, they went to the front door and broke the glass door with a rock.

"Someone tried to smash the far window over here with a rock because I'm assuming they've seen the register and see the TVs and stuff," said Saquan Howard, the owner of Cray Taste.

He said he had just left the business when it happened and was shocked to return to a mess.

"Came into the restaurant, went through the registers, smashed the registers, looking for cash or whatever they could find," Howard said.

Surveillance video shows one of the suspects get into the restaurant and head straight to a cash register. That person broke the register to get it open, but they found nothing inside.

The video then shows the suspect continuing to canvass the restaurant and trying to steal from another register in the process.

The owner says the suspect eventually went back into the office, where an employee was inside sleeping. That prompted the one suspect to leave the property, along with the other suspect who was standing guard outside.

"I'm going to look into getting some bars on the doors and windows. I'm going to look into securing the property a little bit more," Howard said.

The owner says the good news is the suspects didn't get away with anything, but he had to pay for damage to the window, the front door and the registers.

"The day went so well from top to bottom. So, I didn't believe that it really happened. But when I got here, it was just patrol cars, glass everywhere, cops everywhere, so I am definitely heartbroken over it," said Howard. "Being here, we strive so hard to be successful. Open up every day and try to produce more and be welcoming to the community."

Philadelphia police say they are still investigating and trying to identify the two suspects.

Eric Berley, the owner of neighboring Franklin Fountain and Shane Confectionary, said these incidents happen in the area every so often.

"It happens every couple of years when there's maybe a rock thrown through a window or even a break-in," said Berley. "It has happened. It's not something I'm comfortable with."

According to the 6abc Data Journalism Team, non-residential burglaries have decreased citywide, especially in District 6 - where Old City is located.

In the last 12 months, the district has seen a 29% decrease in non-residential burglaries compared to the previous 12 months.

A representative with the Old City District told Action News over the phone that there is a foot patrol officer in the neighborhood and security ambassadors on weekend evenings and throughout the week.

When asked what businesses in Old City can do to protect themselves, the district said they are able to apply for business security camera grants. Those grants will enable them to get 75% off surveillance cameras for their establishments.

In addition, the Old City District said businesses are eligible for storefront improvement grants, which will cover damage like what happened at Cray Taste.

According to the city, the grant can reimburse up to 50 percent of the cost of eligible improvements to a maximum of $10,000 for a single commercial property, or up to $15,000 for a multiple-address or corner business property.

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