Retail break-ins, ATM bombs prompt caution, curfews

by Pete Mazzaccaro
Posted 10/28/20

Several break-ins linked to wider spread looting around the city resulted in a 9 p.m. curfew tonight, Oct. 28 and tomorrow, Oct. 29, as police acted to reassure local business owners and …

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Retail break-ins, ATM bombs prompt caution, curfews

Posted

Several break-ins linked to wider spread looting around the city resulted in a 9 p.m. curfew tonight, Oct. 28 and tomorrow, Oct. 29, as police acted to reassure local business owners and residents that they were working to assure safety.

Wider-spread rioting and protests were sparked after police shot and killed Walter Wallace Jr. in West Philadelphia on Monday afternoon. 

On Tuesday morning, police reported that an explosive device was used to break into the ATM machine at BB&T Bank at Chestnut Hill West Train station

The 14th District police told the Chestnut Hill Business District that they are investigating the explosion with the help of the city’s bomb squad and the ATF. Police said district officers would do everything they could to protect area businesses.

Fox News 29 reported that three other similar explosions at ATMs took place at Dalessandro's Steaks in Roxborough, Royal Pizza on the 4200 block of Baltimore Avenue and the Fresh Grocer on the 5600 block of Chestnut Street.

On Wednesday morning, Chestnut Hill Business District executive director Philip Dawson said break-ins took place at New Spring Dry Cleaner at 8006 Germantown Ave. and the CHOP Chestnut Hill Pediatrics office at 7700 Germantown Ave. Both locations had windows smashed in. A  security video captured two men breaking the window at CHOP. Police are investigating both incidents.

Dawson said in an email to Hill businesses that while the police had called for the curfew, they did not recommend the sort of general boarding up of area businesses that took place in  June.

"While some high-risk targets like chain drug stores have boarded up many locations in the city, the 14th Police District has not reported any new or developing threats to Chestnut Hill, and has not issued any recommendations to preventatively board up storefronts in our area.," Dawson wrote.

Vandalism in Mt. Airy

On early Wed. morning vandals smashed the front doors of Weavers Way Co-op in  Mt. Airy, 559 Carpenter Ln., and the High Point Cafe at 609 Carpenter Ln.

Weavers Way Co-Op general manager Jon Rosser told the local the vandals appeared to be young, based on security camera footage, and that they did not enter either location after breaking the windows.