Ithaca Police are seeking a suspect following a string of five commercial burglaries that occurred between July 25th to 29th.
The First Presbyterian Church on Cayuga Street was reported to have been burglarized on the 25th of July, followed by Perfect Painters on Madison Street on the 27th. The Coal Yard Café on Maple Avenue was burglarized on the 28th. Botanist Coffee Shop on Tioga Street and Buffalo Street Books on North Cayuga Street were burglarized on the 29th.
Cash and other items were taken in addition to one vehicle that was recovered the next day, unoccupied.
The Ithaca Police Department has released still images and video of the suspect in the burglary of Botanist Coffee Shop. The suspect can be seen with a cash drawer while drinking from a gallon of milk.
Botanist Coffee Shop was previously burglarized in November of 2022. A previous series of burglaries occurred within the city earlier this month on July 8th, which saw three business hit within an hour.
The statement regarding the burglaries includes an admonition to business owners to not leave cash on site, take precautions like locking doors and windows, leave external lighting on and activating an alarm system if one is available.
Ithaca Police request anyone with any information on these crimes to contact the department via the following means.
Police Dispatch: 607-272-3245
Police Administration: 607-272-9973
Police Tipline: 607-330-0000
Anonymous Email Tip Address: www.cityofithaca.org/ipdtips
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article described a burglary at The Coal Shack Café. The burglary occurred at The Coal Yard Café .