Parma — This is the story of a 7-Eleven store manager who works 7 days a week to support his family, and 4 derelicts who drove right thorough his window to help themselves to money that isn't theirs.
Bold and brazen enough to break-in while the store was open.
It all unfolded at the busy intersection at Ridge and West Ridgewood, less than a half mile down the street from the Parma police station.
4:30a.m. 4th of July. 4 sneaky thieves in two vans casing the 7-Eleven-Subway store.
A guy who was just walking up to get a pop sees what happened next. He calls 911 and explains to the dispatcher, “They threw the van into reverse, bounced over the curb and went right through the window."
Store manager Jamie Rosenberry takes the story from there: "They used the van as a battering ram for the window and left it behind. Then they jumped into another van with the ATM," he explains.
Store owner Andy Radogna adds, "It was meticulously and quickly orchestrated. They were just in and out within 2 minutes, so it was obviously organized. They were really good at what they were doing,"
Radogna thinks they may have gotten away with a couple thousand bucks in that ATM.
There were 2 employees inside. No customers.
"Thank God no one got hurt," Rosenberry tells Channel 3 News.
The gaping hole in the window where the ATM once stood and the ditched van they left crashed into the store spoke volumes about what Rosenberry says was at stake.
"If someone was walking out of Subway at the time they could have died," he puts it.
Radogna sees the window “glass half full” when he says, "The window can be replaced. Humans can't".
Humans like the people who were working at that 7-Eleven and Subway for a living.
"I work every day. I have 5 kids at home and have to support them," said Rosenberry.
Parma Police are working too.
They’re looking for the tan dodge caravan and going on the 911 caller's description of the driver: Tall, skinny guy. Wearing all black. Black face mask, black pants, black long sleeve shirt.
As of Wednesday evening, there is no confirmation from Parma Police if the mini vans were stolen.
There was no tracking device on the ATM that, by the way, probably weighed about 200 lbs.
To the thieves who took seconds to lift and steal it, Rosenberry has 6 words: "Get out and get a job."
Radogna said he just had the same window fixed a month ago when an elderly woman crashed through it by accident and took out the whole cooler system.
So we say Andy Radogna gets the award for being "most patient in putting it all in perspective."
After his unexpected 4:30 a.m. wakeup call, he stayed to hand out free Slurpee coupons to kids at Parma’s 4th of July parade.
He would also like to take this opportunity to let you know EVERYONE gets a free Slurpee on July 11th. (because it will of course be 7/11).
Except the slackers who helped themselves to his ATM machine. No more anything free for you.