BUFFALO, N.Y. — A South Buffalo ice cream shop is still closed after a man broke in this weekend.
The owner of Cookies & Cream on Seneca Street in South Buffalo said a man broke in through a side window sometime Saturday night into Sunday.
"We noticed that the register was knocked over. Doors were locked though, so I was a little confused of what was going on and then quickly found out with the registers open, the money missing, that someone unfortunately came in," said John Otto, owner of Cookies & Cream.
John Otto, who is also a Buffalo firefighter, said the man took some cash and left a mess. He also left some freezers open, meaning the ice cream was ruined.
"A detective came right out. I spoke to the A District chief this morning. He followed up with me personally. That means a lot, especially when you're in the neighborhood," Otto said.
Otto and his crew are taking Tuesday to finish cleaning up and plan on reopening this location on Wednesday. The business also has a spot on Elmwood Avenue which has remained open.
"If you ask any small business owner, they all have their own story in that it comes down to your staff. Since this is an ice cream store and a cookie place, I do have young staff here, but they're great and every single one of them has pretty much reached out. And when you're talking about teenagers, and young adults, you know, it keeps you moving. It keeps you motivated. And when I'm at the firehouse, this is always on my mind, but it's nice and you get a little relief when you have good people with you," Otto said.
While the man caused quite a bit of damage, he didn't touch the ice cream cakes. Those will be good to go come Wednesday.
"They're too heavy, that's the going joke. He would have been slowed down if he stole those, but those were just made Saturday morning, too," Otto said.
Otto talked to a bunch of business owners up and down the street. He told 2 On Your Side that some other businesses were also hit by the same man who broke into his shop.
Buffalo Police are now investigating the crimes and ask anyone with information to contact A District detectives or call the confidential tipline at 716-847-2255.