Under a blazing heat wave, thieves scaled the roofs of several Pasadena businesses this week and gutted high-grade copper from their air-conditioning units, leaving a beloved bakery and a neighborhood animal hospital scrambling to stay cool. Owners say they are now staring down repair bills in the thousands, plus the headache of improvising with portable units, ice and workarounds to protect refrigeration.
City officials identified Sweet Red Peach bakery on Arroyo Parkway and Petsadena Animal Hospital on Raymond Avenue as two of the latest victims. They said both businesses have stayed open despite the damage, according to CBS Los Angeles. Pasadena spokeswoman Lisa Derderian told MyNewsLA that copper wire thefts from rooftop AC units have hit in the past week and that the losses often climb into the thousands for each incident. She urged business owners to lock down their equipment before thieves get to it.
Small Businesses Scramble To Keep Customers Cool
Sweet Red Peach launched an online fundraiser after intruders forced their way into a rooftop system and tore out copper wiring and condensing coils, leaving the bakery worried that its walk-in refrigeration may also have taken a hit, according to its GoFundMe page. The Pasadena location, a newer extension of the bakery’s growing footprint, is now staring at repair costs that owners say could be hefty, as noted by Eater LA.
Petsadena Animal Hospital lists its Raymond Avenue address on its website and continues to book appointments, even as staff deal with the uncomfortable reality of a clinic without full air conditioning. City officials told CBS Los Angeles that investigators are asking anyone who saw or heard anything to come forward.
Why Rooftop Units Are Easy Targets
Rooftop HVAC systems are a favorite score for copper thieves because they sit out of sight and are packed with metal that can be stripped quickly and sold for scrap. The crooks walk away with a modest payday, and the owners are left footing the very expensive replacement bill. Pasadena has logged multiple similar cases, and officials have been pushing for coordinated anti-theft efforts to curb the trend, according to Pasadena Now.
To fight back, Pasadena’s communications office is urging businesses to lock ladders and roof access points, install heavy-duty tamper-resistant steel cages around AC units and use motion-activated cameras that send real-time alerts about any rooftop prowlers, Derderian told MyNewsLA. She also encouraged anyone with security footage or other information to share it with investigators so detectives have more leads to work with.
Anyone with information about the thefts is asked to call the Pasadena Police Department at (626) 744-4241 or submit an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers. Details on tip lines and the P3 Tips app are listed on the Pasadena Police Department’s Crime Stoppers page, according to the Pasadena Police Department.
