PORT ORANGE, Fla. — Goodwill said it is adding up the damage at its Port Orange store after a rooftop burglar broke in. Police told WFTV the thief even got into the safe at the store on South Nova Road.
Customers were being turned away from Goodwill's Port Orange retail store on Wednesday. That's because when employees arrived, they discovered a mess left behind by a rooftop burglar.
"My gosh, the people here do good things," Goodwill patron Mary Orr said.
All of the merchandise at Goodwill's retail stores is donated, and the money raised from those donations is used for employment and training programs that help people go to work, Goodwill officials said. But some of that cash is gone after the burglar took it from a store safe.
"That's as low as you can go," said Goodwill patron Alice Hutchinson.
Goodwill told WFTV that the burglar made his way up to the roof, cut his way through, dropped down into a restroom, cut his way through a wall to reach a safe and took cash.
"If these folks were that desperate they could have called and come and asked us for assistance," said Judith Pariseau of Goodwill Industries of Central Florida.
Goodwill offers assistance free of charge. The Port Orange store does have surveillance cameras, but so far Port Orange police said they haven't found anything on them that might help with their investigation.
The department also hasn't investigated any similar crimes, which leaves them asking, who would target Goodwill?
"Unfortunately, with the economic times i think people are totally desperate measures and i think we were victim to that today," Pariseau said.
Port Orange investigators are checking with neighboring jurisdictions to see if they've had any similar crimes.