Williamsburg Diner Robbery: Man Steals $10k, 4 Tablets

EAST WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN — Local vegan haunt Champs Diner in Williamsburg was robbed Sunday night into early Monday morning by a man who went in through a side door and took four iPads, a Galaxy tablet, an Amazon Fire Kindle and two safes that contained approximately $10,000 in total, cops and employees said.

The suspect got in through a neighboring apartment building with whom Champs shares a trash yard, said Champs manager Marisa Abaza. The suspect took every computer system in Champs, almost all the cash the restaurant had on-site and personal items from employee lockers, including shoes, backpacks and phones, Abaza said. He also stole a tenant's stroller to carry everything he stole out of the building, Abaza said.

"We do know that he is a neighborhood thief," Abaza told Patch. "One of our coworkers showed his photo to the places on the corner, including the bagel shop, and they recognized him as a bike thief. He kinda seems to wander the neighborhood and take whatever he can for quick cash. If people are looking for him, they'll probably find him."

Abaza said Champs is insured for everything, but she is unsure if they'll get the cash back.

In the mean time, the store employees had a few laughs with the cops watching the man on surveillance footage, she said.

"He went through everything, touched everything, he saw there was a security system and then tried to hide his face, but it was a little too late for that. We laughed with the cops for a while on that one."

The NYPD has released surveillance video and photos of the suspect and are asking anyone with information in regards to this incident to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.

Photo and videos via NYPD