Pazzo's Pizza, the longstanding neighborhood eatery in Scripps Ranch, became the latest victim of burglary yesterday when two men forcibly entered the business, a criminal act caught by the ever-vigilant eye of the surveillance camera. The footage has since been shared by the restaurant in hopes of catching the perpetrators. Clad in shadows and ill-intent, these individuals slipped through the frontiers of a family-owned sanctuary, an act that Pazzo's Pizza described on social media as an "attack on our business but our community," offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to their capture and conviction, viewable through Instagram and a subsequent post.
David Vitale, owner of Pazzo's Pizza, expressed to NBC San Diego that while the burglary was not a major financial setback, the emotional strain weighs heavily, drawing parallels to a chain of similar incidents that plagued the business from 2013 to 2015, resulting in a series of arrests and convictions. A sentiment underscored by local patron Melissa Heck, who lamented, "Heartbreaking, honestly," she relayed.
The thieves were observed on video around 3 AM casing the site in a Toyota Highlander and later making off with an electronic register, an empty cash drawer, and three tablets employed for food delivery services; despite the technological setback, Vitale maintains business will proceed as usual, estimating damages and losses at approximately $4,000 and expecting a delivery service disruption of about a week as reported by NBC San Diego.
