Alleged laundromat thief turns himself in
UPDATE: The suspect turned himself in Monday morning because he saw himself on the news, the police chief said.
The previous story is below.
ELIZABETH, Pa. (KDKA) - Police are searching for a man who broke into every dryer at a local laundromat and stole money.
This isn't the first time this laundromat has been vandalized, so their management got sharper surveillance cameras and very clearly caught this man in action.
Streams of Water Laundry on Sixth Street in West Elizabeth was vandalized by a man on Nov. 18.
Today, Elizabeth police got the surveillance video footage showing the man actively breaking the dryers and taking money. He has two small children with him throughout the video.
"The male actor, a Black male inside the laundromat, was pretty brazen. He committed some of the thefts in front of other patrons using the laundromat," according to Chief William Sombo.
In the video, you can see he even gives some of the money to children not connected to the crime to use in the vending machine.
"When you watch this actor do what he's doing, this is not his first rodeo doing this. He knew what he was doing, he has a system and doesn't care if someone is standing there watching him."
Previous surveillance videos at the laundromat show this is not the first time this particular person has been there. It is not confirmed how much money was stolen, but the dryers were broken and had to be fixed.
"The videos are very, very clear videos. I'm asking for the public's assistance, [and] they can remain anonymous," Chief Sombo said.
Police want the public's help in tracking down the crime.
If you know anything, you're asked to call the Elizabeth Borough Police Department.
