MILWAUKEE -- The manager of the Blackstone Apartments off Juneau Avenue in Milwaukee said thieves have targeted his building’s laundromat four times since May, stealing a total of about $1,700 in quarters from the coin machines.
“I can’t keep them out, they are really sophisticated about getting in,” said the manager, Jim Asbury.
In each case, Asbury said the thieves cover up the surveillance cameras in the laundromat before committing the crime. He believes they have a specific key to open the lock on the machines.
“All of the coin boxes were completely empty and they should have been full,” said Asbury.
Asbury has 21 surveillance cameras around his building. In the most recent break-in, July 12 around 2 a.m., surveillance video shows thieves picking the lock on the building’s side doors.
The video then shows two women, one with an aviator hat and goggles, and a man, wearing a fedora and a fake beard, entering the laundromat. In this instance, the thieves came up empty-handed. That’s because Jim Asbury empties the laundry machines daily now.
Asbury said he’s contacted police twice. He still fears the suspects will return, even if they won’t get away with much.
TODAY’S TMJ4 reached out to Milwaukee Police Department to see if any arrests have been made and we’re waiting to hear back.
