The Real-Life Hamburglar
Robble robble. A Pennsylvania thief is stealing pipes and sewer covers from Philadelphia-area fast food restaurants. Metal commodities are reaching near record highs — copper sold two weeks ago for a staggering $4.06 a pound — and criminals are looking for easy sources of metal.
The same McDonalds in Upper Gwynedd was hit twice. After first being robbed on May 2, it was robbed again in May 5. Several Burger Kings were allegedly hit as well.
The first recent incidents were in May at four Montgomery County fast-food joints, East Norriton Detective Jean Morrison said. After targeting a McDonald's in Upper Gwynedd on May 2, the brazen thief apparently went back to the same place three days later and stole the replacement piping. Only the plumbing for toilets and urinals in men's rooms has been targeted, Morrison said. "He'd probably draw attention to himself if he went into the women's room," she said. "Or maybe not; you never know." Police believe that fast-food restaurants are targeted because a thief can get in and out quickly without being noticed.
The scrap metal thiefs, many of whom are in the "business" to subsidize their drug habits, have also been stealing everything from manhole covers to copper wiring to whole-house-unit air conditioners around the Delaware Valley in recent months.
Pipes, sewer covers swiped as price spikes [Inquirer]
