Swiss American Jewelers is boarded up along Broadway Avenue in downtown Lorain after thieves rammed their way in with a stolen Chevy van.
It’s similar to another recent heist just across the street at Nielsen Jewelers.
The robbers were also seen on surveillance cameras at Nielsen smashing display cases with sledge hammers and stealing tens of thousands of dollars in jewelry.
“You hope the individuals who did these horrible crimes get caught,” said owner Carl Nielsen.
“Your town has been violated, your safety, you feel violated, you feel violated,” Nielsen said.
“In the Nielsen case we also recovered a Chevy stolen van that was from Cleveland,” said Lorain Police Lieutenant Ed Super.
Lorain Police collected forensic evidence from the robbery scenes.
Newsnet5’s Paul Kiska asked Super if these smash and grabs are connected to a string of smash and grabs of ATM’s like one last October in Rocky River. Others have happened in Cleveland and around Northeast Ohio.
“At this point it’s hard to say, I think they have very similar characteristics,” Super said.
Super also said police agencies are sharing information about these smash and grabs with each other.
