An overnight smash-and-grab at the Big Pack Hobby store in Rochelle Park, in Bergen County, New Jersey, is under investigation after thieves made off with thousands of dollars of Pokemon merchandise, News 12 reported. The store owner said at least 30,000 dollars worth of product was taken, a figure he was still counting as he tallied the losses.
The owner described watching the break-in unfold in real time on his cell phone. He received an alert that the front glass of the store was being broken into, and then saw what he said were three masked people who pulled the glass up from the bottom and crawled inside the shop through the opening they had created.
According to the owner, the intruders appeared to know exactly where to go. They headed straight for high-end shelves at the front of the store before moving to the back, and the entire break-in was over in less than two minutes, a speed that suggested the targets had been chosen in advance.
The owner said he watched the whole thing happen from his phone while he was driving over to the store, as his wife, who was at home with a two-month-old baby, called the police. The shop had been open for three years and had just celebrated its anniversary the day before the robbery.
Among the stolen items were graded trading cards, which come sealed in packaging that displays the grade each card has received. The owner said he had many cards rated at the highest level of ten, and that such cards can sell for around 1,000 dollars or more apiece, helping drive the value of the haul higher.
It was the second time the store had been robbed, with a previous break-in reported back in November, though the owner indicated the earlier incident was not at this level. He said he was now working with police and his insurance company while cleaning up and assessing the full extent of the damage.
Despite the loss, the owner said he was ready to rebuild his collection and reopen the store for the community. He spoke about working with local customers, donating cards and talking with the children who come in to discuss their Pokemon collections, and pointed to the many thank-you cards he has received over the years.