Surveillance photo
Two late-night burglars made off with hundreds of dollars in cigarettes after a brazen smash-and-grab at a Somerton gas station on Aug. 17.
Police hope that surveillance video and witnesses from the busy intersection of Bustleton Avenue and Verree Road will help investigators identify the culprits.
The owner of Philly Gas at 10188 Bustleton Ave. discovered the break-in at about 7 a.m. and contacted police, who obtained security video from the scene. The footage showed that two men broke into the business at about 12:05 a.m. First they propped up a large sign to obscure outside sight of the front door. Then one of the crooks used a crowbar to smash the glass.
Once inside, the culprits went behind a sales counter and tossed dozens of cigarette cartons and rub-off lottery tickets into two plastic trash barrels, which they carted out of the store. Police estimate that 60 cartons were stolen.
The burglars may have fled in a car, although images of it are grainy. In the video, one of them appeared to be a light-skinned man wearing a dark long-sleeved jacket, dark cadet-style cap and dark bandana over his mouth and nose. He also had light colored pants and white sneakers. A second suspect wore a red hoodie and light-colored cloth to obscure his face. He also wore white high-top sneakers.
Visit the Philadelphia Police channel on YouTube.com to view surveillance video. Call 215–686-TIPS or text to PPD TIP to report information. ••
