Two small businesses in Woodbury Heights were hit by overnight break-ins into Sunday, leaving one owner out a few hundred dollars and neighbors on edge. The burglaries targeted a local steak shop and a Heritage's Dairy convenience store on Glassboro Road, where workers reported limited cash losses but significant damage at one of the scenes. Investigators say arrests have been made in connection with at least one of the incidents and that inquiries are still underway.
Owners report cash losses and heavy repair bills
The owner of Whit or Whitout Steak Shop said a thief swiped a "few hundred dollars" in cash but left behind damage that will likely cost more to repair than the money that was taken. At Heritage's Dairy, staff told reporters that cash was locked up and out of reach, so the suspect instead grabbed cartons of cigarettes before running off. Authorities have made an arrest tied to the most recent break-in at Heritage's Dairy, and a separate arrest was previously linked to an earlier armed robbery at the same location, as reported by 6abc.
Repeat target: employee accounts of an earlier armed robbery
"Our money was locked up, so they couldn't take any of that," Heritage's manager Kayla Graff told reporters, adding that the suspect made off with roughly four cartons of cigarettes. An employee also described a prior armed robbery at the same Glassboro Road store in which a suspect emptied both the register and the safe and ordered employees to sit face first outside. No injuries were reported in that earlier case. Investigators are continuing to look at whether the recent burglaries are connected, according to 6abc.
Why small shops lock cash and cigarettes
Retailers have increasingly locked up cash and high-value items like cigarettes after a multi-year rise in shoplifting and organized retail theft. The National Retail Federation's Impact of Retail Theft & Violence report found that retailers saw year-over-year increases in shoplifting and merchandise-theft incidents and that many stores are changing layouts or securing products to deter thieves, according to the National Retail Federation. That broader pattern helps explain why Heritage's staff said locked-up cash kept losses relatively limited during the overnight break-in.
Local impact and municipal contacts
Owners say the cost of repairing doors, windows and shelving after forced entries often outweighs the cash that is actually taken, a tough hit for neighborhood shops that run on tight margins. Whit or Whitout's local listing shows the Woodbury Heights shop at 875 Mantua Pike, underscoring the small-scale footprint of many area eateries, according to the business website. The Borough of Woodbury Heights lists its main office at 500 Elm Ave and phone number 856-848-2832 for residents with concerns, per the municipal website.
Anyone with information or surveillance footage is asked to contact the Borough of Woodbury Heights at 856-848-2832. Investigators say they will release additional details once they are confirmed.
