A group of thieves raided a sneaker store in Jersey City on Friday, making away with around $100,000 worth of collectible kicks.
The robbery occurred at approximately 4:30 a.m. at a store called “The Loop,” located at 280 Newark Ave.
Security camera footage obtained by ABC7 Eyewitness News shows the suspects backing up their SUV directly in front of the storefront before breaking in. The vehicle had reportedly been stolen prior to the robbery, and was subsequently used to load up sneakers, including rare pairs of Jordans and Yeezys.
Store owner Mars Shehata, who spoke with ABC7 on Saturday, said the robbers used an instrument similar to a bolt cutter to gain access to the establishment before hurling rocks through its windows.
“It’s just really gut-wrenching to get that call,” Shehata said. “It’s very sad when you’re at home and you get a call about your business being robbed that way.”
It marks the second time his store has been robbed in less than three months.
The Loop was one of multiple locations involved in a string of thefts that occurred back in January at sneaker and clothing outlets in NYC, Long Island and New Jersey.
Four burglaries took place within just five days, including several similar incidents where suspects drove their cars directly next to the businesses and, in at least one case, used rocks to smash store windows.
“Kicktronics,” another sneaker vendor in Paterson, N.J., has reportedly been targeted six times in the past year.
