NANTICOKE, Pa. -- Police are trying to track down whoever is responsible for thousands of dollars in damage after someone tried to steal air conditioning units and copper wiring from two businesses in Nanticoke.
The vandalism is going to cost Nanticoke Fitness Center upwards of $5,000. The gym is right off West Main Street in the city. Its welcome sign was smashed and light fixtures were shattered. The air conditioning unit was destroyed. Someone also stripped the AC of its copper wiring.
Gym manager Melissa Hedrick says it happened sometime over the weekend.
"It's something that now we have to take time to replace, and estimate after estimate, insurance companies, you know. It's just frustrating," Hedrick said.
"People put their heart and soul into making this gym run well, and I don't know why people would come around and just damage the property and things like that," said head trainer Mark Malshefski.
"When somebody does something like that to a place you call your second home, it really feels like a slap in the face," gym member Scott Tarnowski said.
Less than a mile away from the fitness center, Giuseppe's Italian restaurant was also vandalized. Someone tried to take the air conditioner from there, too.
"It's the same crime so it seems to all match together, and according to the police, that's what they feel as well," said Joseph Ginthner, Giuseppe's co-owner.
Ginthner says the vandal stopped by late Monday night. He says the crook also tried to steal copper wires hooked up to 240 volts of electricity.
"So when they pulled all this, they very easily could have separated a wire and been completely electrocuted," Ginthner said.
Both Nanticoke Fitness Center and Giuseppe's have surveillance cameras. Police are looking over that footage to find whoever is responsible.