BOULDER, Colo. (KDVR) — Thousands of dollars worth of food has been stolen from a restaurant in Boulder.
Images of the suspects were caught on surveillance cameras behind Blackbelly Market in Boulder. It happened at 3 a.m. on Monday.
After breaking a hacksaw and using crowbars and a sledgehammer, the burglars managed to get into an outdoor freezer and fridge.
“So we have reinforced our coolers with 3-inch steel bars,” Blackbelly Market Chef and Owner Hosea Rosenberg said.
Those steel bars were welded on after a different break-in. One of the two suspects can be seen carrying a skateboard. After the first two suspects left, another person with long hair appeared 30 minutes later.
More food was stolen at that point, and a white SUV is seen leaving the parking lot.
“It’s almost like they were going to throw a big party or something. They took enough meat for 200 people out of this cooler,” Rosenberg said.
At least $3,000 worth of food was stolen, but that amount could rise. Huge slabs of meat, high-end cheese sauces and even slider buns were taken.
“I have been racking my brain trying to figure out why they worked so hard to steal all of this food,” Rosenberg said as FOX31 spoke to him near the freezer that was broken into.
Who took the food and why is not clear, but FOX31 was told hot food can make its way to the black market.
“It’s not uncommon that you’ll have these vendors or pickup truck thieves that will sell the stolen goods or resell the stolen goods to other restaurants or even consumers,” Perry Group International President Dennis Gemberling said. “Usually it’s something that’s under the table sales. They just don’t realize that the source they bought it from is somebody’s stolen food,” Gemberling added.
Rosenberg’s outdoor units were not connected to a monitoring service.
“By the time the cops get here these guys are going to be gone. These guys were gone fast,” Rosenberg said.
The Boulder Police Department told FOX31 they identified one of the suspects and warrants are pending for their arrest. The police also say they have good leads for the additional suspects.
Boulder police say if you recognize any of the suspects please call Detective Euler at (303) 441-3393 and reference case 2210172.