Tamaqua Speedway hit by serial burglar
A serial burglar seems to be making his way across Pennsylvania, striking at Speedway gas stations.
The Tamaqua Speedway was the latest victim of the lone male. The convenience store was robbed shortly after midnight on July 29.After reviewing security footage from the Speedway store, located at 307 Center St., Tamaqua, as well as footage from the borough's safety cameras, police have offered the following details.At approximately 12.30 a.m. last Wednesday, a small hatchback car pulled into the Speedway parking lot from north Route 309. The car went toward the rear of the building. At 12:41 a.m., a lone male carrying a dark color duffel bag, a crowbar and a rock walked to the rear door and hurled the rock through the plate glass door. The man entered the store, where he removed the change dispensers from the cash registers, as well as coins that were in the register drawers.Police were alerted to the break in by Speedway's alarm company, told the actor was just leaving the scene. The alarm company was able to provide a description of the clothes the burglar was wearing -- blue pants, a dark jacket or sweat shirt and a dark beanie. He was wearing a black mask and gloves.Officers from Tamaqua, Coaldale, West Penn and Rush Townships converged on the area, with the first unit arriving two minutes after the call. The suspect vehicle was already gone and none of the cameras were able to catch the direction of travel.Store personnel were contacted and noted they used to keep their registers locked, but were told a few weeks ago to remove the cash for the night and leave the drawers open at closing, due to similar burglaries, where the suspect used the crowbar to pry open the registers. Those burglaries included Speedways in Lititz, Richland and Elizabethtown according to the head of Speedway Security.Something else the cameras picked up that night was a possible witness who was walking on Center Street. That woman was contacted and was able to tell police the suspect car is red and was last headed south on Route 309.The investigation is continuing. Anyone with information may contact police at 570-668-5000.