Brazen theft forces popular South Jersey deli to temporarily close: "It's beyond comprehension"

A popular neighborhood deli in Camden County, New Jersey, that has been open for five decades is now temporarily closed after a brazen theft.

A dumpster full of spoiled deli meats and cheeses sits outside Somerdale Cold Cuts. The store's owner, Johnny Gabagool, says thieves stole the copper wires and pipes that supply cold air for the walk-in refrigerator and deli case at the family-owned business.

"They were in and out very quick," Gabagool said. "You can see it was a quick job because they did leave some copper behind."

The popular deli on North Warwick Road has been open since 1976.

Gabagool says the theft happened overnight Sunday into Monday. Vandals did not get inside the building, but Gabagool is estimating the food loss alone is around $20,000. 

"I was very upset. I mean, 50 years, nothing like this has ever happened," he said. "I was preparing for this week because I knew we were going to have a three-day heat wave. Today, it's going to be 100 degrees. A lot of people would have come in today and ordered hoagies."

A sign on the door said Somerdale Cold Cuts was closed for refrigeration repairs. Many loyal customers were turned away Wednesday, and some reacted to the brazen crime.

"It's beyond comprehension that someone would do that in the middle of the night," Anthony Marciano, who has been coming to the deli for more than 40 years, said.

"It's horrible these people work hard for their money and you got people that want to steal for no reason," Ray Thompson, who stops in several times a week, said.

According to police, copper wire and pipe thefts remain a problem across the area because of high scrap metal prices.

Somerdale police are investigating this case and are looking for leads.

Gabagool says he's not sure when the store will be able to reopen because he's waiting on a new compressor for both the walk-in refrigerator and deli case. He's hoping whoever is responsible is caught quickly.

"I would hate to see another business go through this," Gabagool said. "It's awful."