Three West Mount Airy businesses hit by overnight break-ins

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Small restaurants and cafes in Philadelphia's West Mount Airy neighborhood were hit by a series of break-ins this week.

The crimes happened late Wednesday night into early Thursday morning.

"Maybe they were somebody trying to get fast money quickly throughout the neighborhood," said Dina Irace, owner of Evo Brick Oven Pizza on West Mount Pleasant Avenue. "We've been here six years, never heard of anything like this."

Irace said she was shocked when she saw surveillance video showing a suspect by himself breaking into her restaurant's basement. He stole money from the cash register.

"Our basement doors, they open those and then we had a whole soda thing in front of the door that goes into the building, so they busted through that and got in from downstairs," said Irace.

And the owner of Malelani Cafe on Germantown Avenue was also a victim. It's unclear at this point if it was the same suspect involved.

"I came to the glass door being broken and it looked like someone had gone in really quickly and gone straight for the register for the cash," said owner George Drakopoulos. "At like 4 in the morning they went in so there was nobody there, thank God. It was like a smash and grab."

High Point Cafe on Carpenter Lane was also hit.

"I think it's a little bit signs of the time but I think we have to pay attention to our neighborhood though," said Drakopoulos.

Philadelphia police confirmed the cases are under investigation but no further information was available.