Century 21 store targeted by burglars in Center City Philadelphia

CENTER CITY (WPVI) -- Philadelphia Police are investigating a burglary at a Center City department store.

Someone broke into Century 21 through the front windows and made off with thousands of dollars in merchandise.

People walking by the store on Market Street Thursday morning couldn't believe how brazen the thieves must have been.

They smashed through two panes of glass and swiped an estimated $2,000 worth of goods from the store, which promises items from top designers at deep discounts.

"They had to plan it out," said Monet Evans from West Philadelphia. "It's kind of hard with police that's down here. So they must have been scoping out the store for a while."

"Century 21 is also a fairly high-end store, so I would imagine they have a lot of security here," said Liz Zimmerman of West Philadelphia. "So I'm fascinated that anyone was able to get away with it."

The call went out to police around 4:45 a.m. Thursday.

A burglary alarm and window motion detector was tripped at the store in the 800 block of Market Street.

Officers arrived to find two display windows broken and mannequins in disarray.

Various clothing items, accessories and handbags had been stolen.

The incident came just two days after a robbery at the Bloomingdale's outlet in the Shops at Liberty Place.

Investigators say in that case a group of nine men in ski masks ransacked the clothing racks, swiping dozens of pairs of high-end jeans worth at least $2,000.

Police have not connected the two cases.

Whether it's designer jeans or handbags, some people we spoke with said thefts like these don't surprise them.

"People want the high fashion they want it," said Zimmerman. "If they can't get it here, and they can't afford the prices even though it's discount, if you can get it cheaper on the street, people will do that."

A Century 21 representative said the store is cooperating fully with the investigation, and that the company is thankful no one was hurt.