Orem Burglary Possibly Tied To Similar Nearby Crimes
Oct 11, 2019, 7:10 PM
OREM, Utah — Police said they are searching for two suspects accused of robbing multiple businesses across the Wasatch Front.
MCR Recycling in Orem was the latest business to be hit by the pair of burglars this past weekend and officials said as many as 20 other businesses have been victimized.
“I mean, the day was normal, but when we showed up the next day, things weren’t normal,” said MCR Recycling owner Carlos Magdaleno.
Just after midnight this past Sunday, two people busted into his business and went right for the safe.
Security cameras captured the whole thing.
“They were on the property for 21 minutes,” Magdaleno said as he watched the footage. “You can see they’re counting through our money. I would rather not say how much cash we lost, but it was a significant amount. Definitely.”
While that’s bad enough, it’s what one of the guys was holding that really has Magdaleno worried.
“You can see the gun on him the whole time,” said Magdaleno while pointing at the gun one of the burglars was holding. “I’m happy no one was here. Even a security guard, it would’ve been horrible. These guys were prepared for people on the premises.”
Magdaleno’s business isn’t the only one hit in this way in the past few months.
“From what we understand, this is tied to 15-20 other businesses,” he said.
Just down the road, Cook’s Greenhouse in Orem was hit in a similar manner a few months ago.
Like at MCR Recycling, surveillance video of the two men also show them moving around in a way you just don’t normally see with burglars.
“They knew where my motion sensors were,” said Tony Cook, who owns Cook’s Greenhouse. “They knew how to get around. They knew at what point they were going to trip the alarm and at that point, they had a timeframe to get things and get out. They cased us out. It’s hard when they’re really professional and really good.”
Orem police detectives are hoping someone has information leading to the burglars, but it’s most likely not just Orem.
Similar burglaries have happened at several businesses from Payson north to Layton, and video security camera footage showed two people were involved.
“Pretty brazen. They look right at your cameras and not even flinch,” Cook said.
It was also hard to identify the burglars because their faces were covered.
Even still, many of the businesses hit are coming together to offer a reward to catch them.
“We’re willing to put some money out there to help keep our community safe,” Magdaleno said. “That’s what it’s all about. I hate to see the community terrorized. And that’s what they’re doing.”
