NEW ORLEANS — Melissa Araujo was finally recovering from the burglary that cost her café tens of thousands of dollars.
“It’s a violation of your privacy, and you work so hard to have a business in this city,” Alma Café chef and owner Melissa Araujo said.
Then around a month later, Alma Café had another unwanted visitor.
Nest cam footage shows the suspect throwing their body weight against the door, then shattering the glass with a hammer.
When the doors wouldn’t give, he headed next door to Justini’s.
Co-owner Eric Johnson says it’s the fourth time they’ve been hit, and now they’re out around $60,000.
“It’s exhausting,” Justini’s Co-owner Eric Johnson said. “In the restaurant business, you have enough to deal with day-to-day.”
NOPD didn’t confirm the suspect was connected to the other four burglaries, but Johnson says whoever is breaking in is after the same things.
“He always takes cash inside our register and our liquor cage,” Johnson said.
After losing so much, why stay in the Bywater? The restauranteurs both say their neighbors are priceless.
“We have a cool customer base, and they keep coming out,” Johnson said.
Johnson says NOPD officers missed the burglar by about one minute. If you have any information about the incidents, you’re asked to call Crimestoppers at (504) 822-1111.
