Burglars take cash, cigarettes after ransacking Avenel liquor store

by Joshua Burd on Feb 3rd | Email

WOODBRIDGE, NJ -- A crew of burglars trashed an Avenel liquor store early Tuesday before taking cigarettes and about $500 in cash, police said.

The burglary at Avwood Bar Liquor Mart, 971 Rahway Ave., was discovered around 6:45 a.m. by a neighboring business owner, who found the front glass door shattered and called police.

Surveillance video showed that three or four hooded individuals standing near a sport utility vehicle or pickup truck that was backed up to the store around 4:50 a.m., police said. One of the suspects then struck the window with an object, shattering the glass, before the group entered the shop.

Once inside, they first tried to remove the ATM but found it bolted to the floor, according to a police report. They then ransacked the interior, stealing seven cartons of cigarettes, a cash register that contained $200 and a drawer that contained $300.

The business owner told police he had received a notification of a motion alarm, but told the alarm company to not call the police. He said he would instead check on the store himself, a police report said.

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