Northeast Austin businesses left with damage after bizarre string of break-ins

NE Austin strip mall break-ins

A bizarre string of break-ins at a Northeast Austin strip mall left three businesses damaged and one out of thousands of dollars.

AUSTIN, Texas - A bizarre string of break-ins at a Northeast Austin strip mall left three businesses damaged and one out of thousands of dollars.

Break-ins at NE Austin businesses

What they're saying:

"This one was bizarre," said Jessica Edwards, manager, Knuckleheads Tobacco & Gifts.

Three neighboring businesses — Brass Ovaries dance studio, Knuckleheads smoke shop, and Thundercloud Subs — were all hit inside the same strip mall near I-35 and 290 in northeast Austin.

Each business shares walls, which is how the burglar moved through them.

"Someone broke through with a crowbar through the Brass Ovaries back door, and they didn't know what they were looking at because it was pitch black in there. They made one giant hole, but it turned out to be Thundercloud's wall. They just popped their head in and realized I'm in the wrong store. And then they made another giant hole through our bathroom," said Edwards.

VIDEO: Break-in at NE Austin business

A burglar broke into three neighboring businesses in Northeast Austin. Knuckleheads Tobacco & Gifts caught the burglar on camera.

Knucklehead's now sits boarded up.

"It's creepy, just creepy to know somebody could just crawl through the wall at any time like that. That's never happened before," said Edwards.

The shop says the thief cut the security footage, and they are now dealing with thousands of dollars of damage.

"Estimated 32 grand," said Edwards.

Manager Jessica Edwards says the shop has already been struggling following the new THC rules in effect in the state. She says this is her fourth break-in in two years.

She's seen it all from bricks thrown through her windows to merchandise knocked down.

"Somehow, they jumped over our aquarium, and they stole a bunch of vapes that time. And another time there were six of them. They just parked right in front, broke the door, and six of them came with garbage bags. Just filled up their garbage bags full of all our merchandise," said Edwards.

The store has since added bars on the windows, but staff say it still doesn’t feel safe.

Royal Blue Grocery break-ins

Multiple break-ins in a matter of days have left Royal Blue Grocery looking for help.

"Now it feels like we're in prison. I always feel unsafe in this neighborhood. I stopped walking, I used to walk to work, and now I don't even feel safe walking in these neighborhoods, especially at night. There's no way I would walk at night in this neighborhood," said Edwards.

They say even with security upgrades, police response remains a challenge.

"Even with all the cameras and everything, there's just not enough police. There's been plenty of times I've called the police, and they don't come. They're just short-staffed," said Edwards.

The burglar didn’t steal anything from Thundercloud or the dance studio, but left them with giant holes in their walls. 

Right now, police say no suspects have been identified, and no arrests have been made.

The investigation remains open and ongoing.