Burglars targeted pie and ice cream shops next to one another in University Heights, but thanks to modern tech, the take was not so sweet.
The suspects behind the attempted smash-and-grab are still on the loose, but they were seen on security cameras outside Pop Pie Company and Stella Jean’s Handmade Ice Cream Shop on Park Boulevard.
Four would-be burglars smashed out the glass front doors of the shops, and in less than two minutes, they ransacked the drawers and shelves and left.
"I was shocked. I was absolutely shocked because we don’t get damage like that or people destroying," University Heights resident Wendy Murphy said.
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Neighbor Seth Krosner realizes the businesses still suffered a loss even though no money was stolen.
"They have to pay for big plate glass windows and they are probably barely getting on their feet again [after the pandemic]," neighbor Seth Krosner said.
Murphy and Krosner are both long-time University Heights residents and fans of both eateries.
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“I go a lot," Murphy said, raising an ice cream cone from Jean's. "I go often."
Had the masked intruders been there before, they would know both businesses are cashless. Another look at the security footage shows all four, dressed in hoodies and masks, enter the camera view from the corner of Meade Avenue and Park Boulevard just before 3 a.m.
First, they smash the glass door of the ice cream shop. Two split off and crash through the Pot Pie Company’s front door. They frustratingly rifled through the shelves, drawers and safe, only to come up empty-handed.
Over the phone, owner Steven Torres told NBC 7, “We run a cashless business for the safety of employees and to discourage burglaries.”
Torres says this was the first attempted burglary since they opened here in 2016.
"There’s lots of houses and such," Krosner said. "You’d think someone would have heard something, but it seems bold.“
Torres said the repair will cost $3,000 to $5,000. He wasted no time getting back to business.
"Our goal was to help investigators, clean up the mess and then reopen. We wanted to set an example for our team that such people are not going to get in the way of what we do," Torres said. That is a sentiment neighbors here share. They’re not intimidated.
"Nine-and-a-half," is how Murphey rated her sense of safety out of 10 following the burglary attempt.
Torres said he's holding a soft opening for two new eateries in Pacific Beach Saturday. Those two shops will also be cashless.
