The Summer House. (Photo by Greg Fitzpatrick)
SOUTHWICK – The Southwick Police Department received a report around 5 a.m. Thursday of someone breaking and entering into The Summer House, a popular eating establishment on College Highway.
Surveillance video was able to capture images of the suspect. (Photo from Southwick Police Department)
According to Det. Sgt. Tom Krutka, the male suspect entered through the side entrance door and shattered the glass to enter the restaurant. The individual then headed straight to the register and damaged the register and drawer with a crow bar, but didn’t get away with any cash.
A surveillance camera captured the suspect in the act and Krutka strongly believes the individual has been in the building before or has been a customer due to having no hesitation and heading straight to the register.
Wearing a mask and gloves to make it difficult to identify the suspect, the video does show the person wearing a flat-brimmed hat with a sticker under the bill and pants with rips in them.
“If anyone friends with this guy, they’re going to know his clothing,” said Krutka.
Krutka also believes that the male suspect acted alone in this incident. When looking at the surveillance video, it was determined that the individual ran across the back property of the restaurant and on a side street. That person got into a vehicle and took some time before taking off, but the license plate and make and model of the car were unable to be identified.
Steve Grimaldi, co-owner of The Summer House. (Photo by Greg Fitzpatrick)
Steve Grimaldi, who’s a co-owner of The Summer House along with his brother Rick Grimaldi, said that this is the first time in the 38 year history of the business that the establishment has been broken into.
“I think we got off pretty lucky overall,” said Grimaldi. “Now we know this kind of stuff can happen.”
Arriving at 5:15 a.m. on Thursday after being notified of the incident, Grimaldi noted that police officers were already on scene and the K-9 unit was also there to check for tracks of the suspect.
“I was really impressed with the Southwick Police Department,” said Grimaldi. “Their response was great.”
Grimaldi hopes that the photo that was captured on surveillance will help catch the individual involved.
“We’re just hoping for somebody to maybe see something,” said Grimaldi.
If anyone believes they know the person or has information, please contact the Southwick Police Department at 413-569-5348.
