Thousands of dollars stolen from Fridley antiques store's safe

Wednesday night, masked burglars broke into a Twin Cities antique shop. 

Surveillance video shows the wild occurrence: burglars wheeling away a safe at Wild Things Antiques.

"It was kind of one of those ... violations of personal space," said store owner David Wenzel. 

Wenzel also owns The Clapping Monkey Coffee House, which is intertwined with Wild Things.

Since day one, Wenzel has aimed to make it a safe space for all. Thursday morning, they realized the safe space was invaded.

Wenzel, his crew and police discovered their safe displaced and wheeled to the back room. The $5,000 that was kept inside was gone.

"You never expect a burglary," said Wenzel.

Fridley police say they were dispatched at 6:50 a.m. Thursday on the report of a burglary. Lindsey Schwendler, who works at the shop, was the one opening.

"I got right behind the counter and knew something was a little bit off," Schwendler said. "It was intense."

And to the bad guys, the many items sold by vendors utilizing the space for sales didn't matter.

"No items appeared to have been taken," Wenzel added. "It looks like it was just a cash grab."

Leaving David and his team skeptical, but looking up.

"They had been in earlier, like 5 o'clock that day," Wenzel told WCCO. "Money's money, property can be replaced, but safety of our staff and customers is number one."

If you know anything or recognize those burglars, reach out to Anoka County Dispatch or submit a tip at FridleyMN.gov/Trip411.