Multiple overnight break-ins at Montgomery County businesses

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. ( DC News Now ) – Several businesses in Montgomery County were broken into overnight, leaving many storefronts with shattered windows and doors.

Employees at Parkway Deli in Silver Spring said when they got to work Tuesday morning, their front window was completely smashed and broken glass was all over the ground. The deli’s manager, Chris Morales, says he’s actually not surprised.

“For me — honestly, ‘Here we go again.’ That’s it. Another incident at Parkway,” he said.

Morales says break-ins have become all too familiar.

“As far as burglaries or burglary attempts,” he said. “I would say at least one every five years, and I’ve been here for about 15 years now.”

The deli has cameras inside. Morales played the footage back to see the damage the intruders caused.

“First attempt was the ATM,” Morales said. “Probably was too heavy for them or didn’t know what they were doing. Coming back in again, walking around and then our alarm picked up the motion sensor, and they freaked out and left at that point.”

The suspects were empty-handed, but they managed to get away. Employees said the break-in has them slightly concerned.

“When you come here, it feels like a very great community and it’s a good meeting place, so for something like this to happen here is a little bit off-putting, a little bit unsettling,” Parkway Deli employee Lia Mejia said.

Some customers see the break-in in a much different way.

“It just means I’m going to come here more and support them. I hope they can get the technology with surveillance and stuff like that, so this doesn’t happen again; to deter future incidents. But I’ll come more now because I want to support them,” customer Joseph Mazza said.

Parkway Deli has filed a police report.

Montgomery County Police confirmed that four businesses in the Glen Echo Shopping Center in Bethesda were also broken into overnight. There were no suspects in custody as of Tuesday, and their investigation is ongoing.

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