Police are looking for a couple of thieves who carved a hole in the wall of an upper Manhattan deli late last week and stole cash, a hard drive, baby formula and other merchandise from the store.
The deli’s owner, Epi Ulerio, said that thieves cut a 2-by-4-foot hole in the side of his Inwood Deli late Friday from an empty building next door.
Once inside the store, the burglars ransacked the place, destroying an ATM, tossing merchandise on the floor and swiping the hard drive that stored the store's surveillance footage before leaving with the cash and baby formula.
“It’s like a professional,” Ulerio said.
Police say the burglary Friday matches a pattern of break-ins at upper Manhattan and Bronx stores dating back to October. But unlike the other break-ins, one business owner said, the thieves left behind a hammer and a large knife.
Store owners said they hope the tools yield fingerprints that can help identify the thieves and lead to an arrest. Some say they’re planning to hire guards.
Ulerio covered the hole with a piece of plywood and is back open for business. He said he plans to put in a new security system.
“It’s bad for business,” he said. “Whatever I had is gone.”
