Suspect shatters glass door, takes cash register in Collier County

Reporter: Michelle Alvarez Writer: Paul Dolan
Published: Updated:

Surveillance cameras caught a person breaking into a dry cleaner business on US-41 near Morning Side Drive in Collier County. But deputies believe the same person also tried getting into other nearby stores.

Collier County deputies are looking for the suspect after trying to break into several businesses.

Suspect seen looking into another store before using a rock to break in. CREDIT: WINK News

In under 30 seconds, the suspect shatters the glass door at Wel-You Dry Cleaners, located at 4388 Tamiami Trail N., grabs the entire register, and leaves.

Chinar Pawar, the owner of Wel-You Dry Cleaners, spoke to WINK News about what happened.

“He had a knife. So, he tried to, maybe tried to pull out the drawer, as you can see in the video, but he could not. So here he had to use his weapon to take out the register,” Pawar said.

But, apparently, the suspect wasn’t finished. Merely two days later, the same suspect tried breaking into the business next door to the dry cleaners.

The smoke shop the suspect was eyeing. CREDIT: WINK News

“I noticed that on the videos because my neighbor showed me his surveillance footage, and I compare the two, and he’s wearing the same sneakers,” Lotus Smoke & Vape employee Raamis Qadwani said.

“A lot of people are displaced, they’re just trying to feed themselves or their families. So, I totally understand that. However, there are many ways to make a dollar in America, you don’t have to resort to stealing. It’s just it’s not right, you know, you’re taking someone’s livelihood, who actually worked really hard to get where they need to be,” Qadwani said.

The sheriff’s office said the burglar also tried to hit a business named Crown Jewelers too.

Crown Jewelers. CREDIT: WINK News

Pawar and her husband both own Wel-You Dry Cleaners and recently moved to Southwest Florida from Canada.

“That’s the reason we choose Naples. Because safety was our priority. And unfortunately, this happened. So, which was kind of disappointing,” Pawar said.

The Collier County Sheriff’s Office is investigating but everyone WINK News spoke with hopes they find the suspect responsible before they cause even more damage to other businesses.

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