Police searching for robbers targeting fast food restaurants in Northeast Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Philadelphia police are searching for a group of robbers targeting fast food restaurants.

Surveillance images capture the scene of a robbery at the McDonald's drive-thru on Adams Avenue in Northeast Philadelphia several weeks ago.

You see a man emerging from the backseat of a car and sticking a handgun with an extended clip through the window. The thieves got away with $880 in cash.

Ten days later on December 29, police say the same thieves tried to rob the McDonald's a few miles away on Torresdale Avenue.

A man we spoke with, who asked not to be identified, was inside the restaurant at the time.

"I just hear like a commotion in the window and I look over and there's a guy with a ski mask with a black car and sticks it to the girl. I don't know what he told her, but she closed the window," he recalled.

In that case, the thieves drove away empty-handed. But half an hour later that same Toyota Corolla rolled up to the Dunkin' on Whitaker Avenue and robbed the store of $200 in the exact same fashion.

Philadelphia Police Capt. John Ryan says the good news is that they are making progress in this investigation.

"We've since recovered the vehicle used in those robberies," he says. "So, we're working on a forensic analysis of the inside of that vehicle to see what evidence we can obtain."

The McDonald's on Adams Avenue was hit again earlier this week, but it remains unclear if the same men were involved.

The witness we spoke with says he just hopes the people responsible are captured sometime soon.

"I don't really know what's going on, they tried to rob other stores in the area. The corner store that my folks zone. So, yeah, it's getting dangerous."

Capt. Ryan says that while the men involved should be considered armed and dangerous, no injuries have been reported from any of these robberies.

"Thank goodness no one was hurt because, as we know, the criminals don't know how to handle guns properly and oftentimes there's discharge, and some of them are accidental and that's got to be frightening for the poor people working in the fast food establishments."

Anyone with information about this investigation is asked to call Northeast Detectives.