On Tuesday, Pennsylvania officials disclosed that surveillance footage had captured a daring smash-and-grab incident at a Lululemon store, where two masked individuals wielded a sledgehammer for an overnight heist.
According to Lower Merion Police, as reported by Fox 29 Philadelphia, the suspects were observed making off with handfuls of goods, retreating and returning multiple times, before eventually escaping in a U-Haul truck.
Taking place at the Ardmore shopping center just before 2 a.m., the brazen act led to the theft of approximately $5,000 worth of merchandise.
The police-released footage depicts the two suspects, clad in black and masked, forcefully breaking through the store’s glass entrance with what appears to be a sledgehammer. Once inside, they swiftly headed for the men’s section, targeting winter coats and shirts.
One of the masked thieves can be seen in the surveillance video smashing through the store’s entryway during the nocturnal burglary. (Lower Merion Police/Fox 29 Philadelphia)
The footage reveals the suspects seizing entire racks of puffer jackets and sweatshirts before exiting the scene. Moments later, they return to the store to grab even more items after stashing the initial batch outside.
The footage shows the heist lasted roughly five minutes.
The thieves fled after loading the stolen merchandise into the bed of a U-Haul pickup truck parked outside, Fox 29 reported.
Police say suspects fled in a U-Haul truck after the overnight Lululemon smash-and-grab. (Lower Merion Police/Fox 29 Philadelphia)
By the afternoon, the store had reopened, but the front door’s glass remained shattered, with a large banner placed in front of the entrance, the local station reported.
According to an employee from another business nearby, Tuesday’s incident was not the first time the Lululemon store was targeted.
“I walked out here with my bartender, and we looked, and it’s scary that it’s happening right across the way from us,” Gina Picciano, general manager of Lola’s Garden, told Fox 29.
The Lululemon store’s glass entrance was left shattered after the smash-and-grab burglary, authorities said. (Lower Merion Police/Fox 29 Philadelphia)
Last year, Picciano said, a theft occurred during store hours.
“All of the sudden, a bunch of people were just running out with armfuls of stuff. So, it happens in broad daylight,” Picciano added. “It doesn’t matter whether it’s night or day, and that’s crazy.”
The Lower Merion Police told Fox 29 that delayed alarm alerts can delay response times, emphasizing crime prevention and partnerships with merchants.
“Sometimes there’s a delay in receiving these calls with Lululemon because their operations center, they’re the ones that receive the video and the alarm,” Superintendent of Police Andy Block said. “Prevention here is the key for this, and we’re always concerned about the criminal element coming into our communities. And our officers work all the time to try to prevent this. We want to work with our merchants to try to make our community safer.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the Lower Merion Police and Lululemon for more information.
