Thief steals 65 cellphones from Main Street Plaza

Two businesses inside Main Street Mall in El Centro were burglarized Wednesday night.

According to the El Centro Police Department (ECPD), someone broke into a comic book store and a cell phone store inside the Plaza.

Tenants in the plaza said the burglar was able to break in through the building’s back door.

Thomas Juarez the manager of Safe-Link Wireless said every cell phone they had was stolen.

“They stoled $3,000 in cell phones, it was 65 cellphones,” said Juarez.

Juarez said it was their third day as tenants in the building.

Safe-Link Wireless is a program for low-income people. The company provides free cell phones to residents in the Imperial Valley through a government assistance program.

“These are cell phones for people who are in need, and now they’ve been stolen,” Juarez said.

The Owner of Rene’s Comics says approximately $1,500 in merchandise was stolen from his store.

Tenants in the building said there’s a lack of security at the plaza, and the landlord has not wanted to invest in extra security measures.

Juarez said they’re beefing up security at Safe-Link wireless. Their locks have been replaced and they will be adding cameras.

ECPD said there is no video surveillance or description of the burglar that broke into the building on Wednesday night.

Juarez said ECPD did take fingerprints from their location. He hopes the police are able to find the person responsible.