Thief breaks into La Verne and San Gabriel collectible stores in 1 night, cases a 3rd in San Dimas
LA VERNE, Calif. (KABC) — Southern California collectibles dealers are on edge after a thief struck two stores overnight, and may have been targeting a third.
Frustration is mounting for a new shop owner in La Verne after a burglar targeted his business just days before the scheduled grand opening.
The thief ransacked the card collectible store overnight, getting away with thousands of dollars worth of merchandise.
Video from inside 44 Collectibles shows where the burglar smashed through the front door and the display cases. Shattered glass was all over the ground.
The thief shattered the display cases and got away with several vintage sports items and Pokémon trading cards.
“We had vintage Hank Aaron’s, Mantles, priceless stuff, stuff that my dad gave me,” said Niko Mongenel, the owner of 44 Collectibles.
The owner says the goods were worth approximately $20,000. He just opened the store about four months ago and was looking forward to hosting a grand opening celebration on New Year’s Day.
One of the sports cards that was stolen had sentimental value; it was given to the owner by his father. Now, it’s gone.
“I’m angry. I’m hurt. It just sucks. Putting so much time into something to have it just swept away just like that is heartbreaking,” Mongenel said. “We’re just trying to have a good time here and spread just joy and welcome everybody, and anything that takes away from that, you know, it hurts.”
The store’s security camera captured an image of the thief, whose face was wearing a hoodie with their face covered.
The break-in happened around 3 a.m. at the store in downtown La Verne, but the crime spree didn’t end there.
The thief was seen around 3:30 a.m. lurking around A&N Collectibles, about five minutes away in San Dimas.
“He starts looking through our windows, I guess he was probably looking for a weak spot,” said the owner, Aaron Tom. “Then eventually, I don’t know if something scared him away, or he just realized, ‘No, this is going to take me too long,’ and then he left.”
But, it doesn’t end there. The thief was apparently still determined, because an hour later, surveillance video shows him climbing into a card collectible shop in San Gabriel.
The crook is caught in the act on surveillance video with a sack full of stolen goods after shattering a window and a display case.
The owner of the store told Eyewitness News off-camera that they’re afraid he’ll come back.
Back in San Dimas, Tom is concerned, too.
“They have made the rounds. They’re criminals. They need to be caught,” he said.
As law enforcement investigates the likely connection, Mongenel remains hopeful he can recover.
“I don’t wish this on anybody. Hopefully, we can put a stop to it,” he said.
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